Sino - Tibetan War The Sino - Tibetan War began in 1930 when the Tibetan army under the 13th Dalai Lama invaded Xikang and Yushu in Qinghai in a dispute over monasteries . Ma clique warlord Ma Bufang secretly sent a telegram to Sichuan warlord Liu Wenhui and the leader of the Republic of China , Chiang Kai - shek , suggesting a joint attack on the Tibetan forces . Their armies rapidly overwhelmed and defeated the Tibetan army . Conflict . The roots of the conflict lay in the disputed border between Tibetan government territory and the territory of the Republic of China , with the Tibetan government in principle claiming areas inhabited by Tibetans in neighboring Chinese provinces ( Qinghai , Sichuan ) which were in fact ruled by Chinese warlords loosely aligned with the Republic ; in the tense relationship between the 13th Dalai Lama and the 9th Panchen Lama , which led to the latter ' s exile in Chinese - controlled territory ; and in the complexities of power politics among local Tibetan dignitaries , both religious and secular . The proximate cause was that the chieftain of Beri , a Tibetan area beyond the Tibetan government ' s control , seized the properties of the incarnate lama of Nyarong Monastery , who sought support from nearby Dhargyä Monastery . The chieftain of Beri was reportedly incited by supporters of the 9th Panchen Lama . When the Nyarong Lama and monks from Dhargyä Monastery regained control of Nyarong Monastery in June 1930 , the chieftain of Beri responded by requesting help from local Chinese warlord Liu Wenhui , the governor of Sichuan . Liu ' s forces quickly took control of the area . The Dhargyä monks in turn requested the aid of the Tibetan government , whose forces entered Beri and drove Liu Wenhui ' s army out . Kuomintang Muslim official Tang Kesan was sent to negotiate for an end to the fighting . Ma Xiao was a Muslim brigade commander in Liu Wenhui ' s army . Muslim Gen . Ma Fuxiang , as head of the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission , sent a telegraph to Tang Kesan ordering him to breach the agreement with Tibet , because he was concerned that political rivals in Nanjing were using the incident . Over the next few years the Tibetans repeatedly attacked Liu Wenhui ' s forces , but were defeated several times . In 1932 Tibet made the decision to expand the war into Qinghai against Ma Bufang , the reasons for which have speculated upon by many historians . Qinghai – Tibet War . When the ceasefire negotiated by Tang failed Tibet expanded the war in 1932 , attempting to capture parts of southern Qinghai province following a dispute in Yushu , Qinghai , over a monastery . Ma Bufang and Liu saw this as an opportunity to retake Xikang for China . Under Gen . Ma the 9th Division ( Kokonor ) - - composed entirely of Muslim troops — prepared for an offensive against the Tibetans ( Kokonor is another name for Qinghai ) . The army of Ma Bufang vanquished the Tibetan armies and recaptured several counties in Xikang province . Shiqu , Dengke and other counties were retaken from the Tibetans . The Tibetans were pushed back to the other side of the Jinsha River . The Qinghai army recaptured counties that had fallen into the hands of the Tibetan army since 1919 . Ma and Liu warned Tibetan officials not to cross the Jinsha River again . Ma Bufang defeated the Tibetans at Dan Chokorgon . Several Tibetan generals surrendered , and were subsequently demoted by the Dalai Lama . By August the Tibetans had lost so much territory to Liu Wenhui and Ma Bufang ' s forces that the Dalai Lama telegraphed the British government of India for assistance . British pressure led Nanjing to declare a ceasefire . Separate truces were signed by Ma and Liu with the Tibetans in 1933 , ending the fighting . The Chinese government and Ma Bufang accused the British of supplying weapons and arms to the Tibetans throughout the war . There was , in fact , a sound basis for that accusation : in addition to persistent diplomatic efforts encouraging both parties to refrain from hostilities and make a comprehensive settlement , the British government — and , later , India — provided some military training and small quantities of arms and ammunition to Tibet throughout the 1912 - 1950 period of de facto Tibetan independence .