There is no doubt that ties between India and China are at the worst point they have been in decades. Soldiers have died on the Line of Act...
There is no doubt that ties between India and China are at the worst point they have been in decades. Soldiers have died on the Line of Actual Control, the disputed border between the two countries, for the first time in four decades. Reports reveal that between 100 and 200 shots were fired by both sides at the end of August – after more than 40 years without the use of firearms.
This as not unfolded in merely a matter of days. Chinese attempts to grab Indian territory appear to have begun in May. Tensions have been high since.
The context to this is even more important. Over the last six years, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has poured a lot of time and effort into building a personal rapport with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two have met on 18 occasions, including heavily publicised informal summits in Wuhan and just last year in Mahabalipuram.
One of the expectations of such efforts was that if India were being drawn into a bigger conflict with Pakistan, the diplomatic efforts with China would protect New Delhi with having to contend with two active fronts.
Instead, to the surprise of the Indian government, the Chinese Army made the first moves this year, using...
