KK2 - Contested borders case study - China and India

Question 1

Background

Answer 1

June 2020, Chinese and Indian troops engage in unarmed hand-to-hand combat (including stone-throwing, fistfights and the use of clubs) in the Galwan Valley.
-Twenty Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese soldiers were killed during the confrontation, involving stones and clubs.
-This marked the first deaths on the long-disputed border in 45 years.
-This all begun with China’s move into a portion of the Galwan Valley, up to the “line of actual control” (LAC) - the de facto border separating the two countries

Question 2

Impact on Sovereignty of India

Answer 2

-India has been seeking to develop its infrastructure in the region, including the upgrade of roads surrounding its Daulet Beg Oldie airbase.
-A challenge to the border can be seen as to threaten these military and economic interests in the region, and its ability to assert its effective control over them (i.e., territorial sovereignty)

Question 3

Impact on sovereignty of China

Answer 3

-China wants to telegraph strength, and give in to any questions of it challenging the sovereignty of others.
-In early 2013, Xi linked sovereignty with the accomplishment of his “China dream,” proclaiming that “no foreign country should expect us to trade away our core interests”
-Any attempt to challenge China’s dominance, prominence and strength, especially in relation to its borders, is perceived as a threat to its sovereignty