Author Description

India's border dispute with China, which goes back to the 1950s, primarily owes to the absence of an internationally accepted boundary between them, and of an agreement on where runs the Line of Actual Control. The border, as a result, is patrolled and managed by the military forces of both sides. After initial efforts to resolve the dispute failed, the two sides signed a set of agreements aimed at stabilising the LAC and normalising their relationship in other areas. All that, however, has seemingly been jeopardised by a series of actions by the People's Liberation Army in eastern Ladakh in the spring and summer of 2020. Officially, both sides are committed to disengagement and de-escalation of forces that have been arrayed against each other in the region. India wants a restoration of the status quo ante, as of April 2020; China continues to vacillate on the issue. This paper examines the manner in which the dispute has unfolded and how it is pushing India to change its approach.