The China-India Border Dispute Just Got Real
With 20 of its troops dead, India may turn to the U.S. as a bulwark against Chinese aggression.
Howdy, Modi.
Photographer: Prakash Singh/AFP/Getty Images
Just as it appeared that China and India had reached a détente after weeks of military escalation at their Himalayan border, Chinese troops have reportedly killed at least 20 Indian soldiers, and may have suffered their own casualties. The first deadly border clash since the mid-1970s shows just how fraught relations between the world’s two most populous countries are becoming. And while the geopolitical dangers are obvious and severe, the crisis also presents the U.S. with an opportunity to forge the strong relationship with India it has desired for more than two decades.
The current conflict began several weeks ago when the Chinese moved thousands of troops into the Galwan valley in Ladakh, along what is known as the Line of Actual Control. (I’ve always been struck by that oddly worded term — what is the alternative, the Line of Fake Control?)