This article was originally published on July 5, 2020.

The map (first picture on the left) below shows the areas that different countries are controlling and the regions that are claimed by China and India. It also shows the lines or borders that divide China from India and Pakistan and the other way around. The second picture is of one Chinese solider and one Indian soldier. The third picture shows the two national leaders of each country and the fourth picture shows the two armies at the Line of Actual Control.

India and China, two neighboring countries have been experiencing boiling tension over the past few decades but towards the end of May 2020, it became a serious complication. The worst border clash between India and China in many years left 20 Indian soldiers dead. The number of Chinese soldiers that suffered casualties is not yet determined but many claim on social media that 35 Chinese soldiers died due to the border dispute.

For the past few weeks, after a series of brawls along the border, China, as well as India, have been building up their forces high in the Himalayas in the remote Galwan Valley. The actual confrontation came after India started the construction of a new road in Ladakh, India, along the Line of Actual Control. That angered China and they started building their own in disputed territory bringing the forces of two sides closer in proximity and heightening the risk of a major dispute. The Line of Actual Control (LAC) is a loose demarcation line that separates Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory in the Sino-Indian border dispute. It subsequently referred to the line formed after the 1962 Sino-Indian War and is part of the Sino-Indian border dispute.

Both nuclear-armed countries and their national leaders, President Xi Jinping of China and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, don’t want to create the start of war during this time, but neither wants to relinquish their territorial claims either. Both sides see the area as strategically important, economically, and militarily.

The loss of lives raises the stakes because the demise of those soldiers is said to be the first in 45 years in border confrontation between China and India. They have only fought one war, in 1962, where India suffered defeat. India lost a part of its land, Aksai Chin, to China in a matter of days. On October 20,1962, China attacked India provoked by tensions over Tibet.

China has very special bonds with Pakistan and North Korea and are very good allies in case of war. For its close relationship with India, the US relationship with China has also faltered. The Russian Federation, Israel, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and the US are considered allies with India and will also be very helpful companions in this situation.

India has banned the use of many Chinese apps such as TikTok, Clash of Kings, WeChat, ES File Explorer, Wonder Camera, QQ Security Center, etc. Both China and India plan to resolve this issue amicably without the use of war.

“The sovereignty and integrity of India is supreme, and nobody can stop us in defending that, the sacrifice of our soldiers will not be in vain. India wants peace, but if provoked India is capable of giving a befitting reply.” – PM Narendra Modi of India

“China is willing to go head-to-head with it and isn’t afraid of deaths or even of opening fire. The Indian side must not misjudge the current situation and must not underestimate China’s firm will to safeguard territorial sovereignty.” – Yue Gang, a retired colonel in the People’s Liberation Army