A brief, minor conflict or fight along a border between regions, countries, or groups. It may result in casualties.
Video of what appears to be a violent clash between Indian and Chinese troops at their disputed Himalayan border has emerged online, offering a rare window into the long-simmering tensions between the two Asian giants. It was reportedly filmed in the area of Pangong Tso lake on the Line of Actual Control, or LAC, which separates the two sides. AFP has not yet been able to verify exactly where and when the footage was filmed, but it corresponds with Google Street View images of the area.
The conflict is a reminder of the risk of a full-scale war between India and China. But both sides seem to have realized the danger and taken steps to de-escalate the crisis. A joint statement from India and China on Tuesday said that they would pull back their troops a bit from the LAC to avoid face-offs and hold monthly review meetings in the contested areas.
For its part, China has downplayed the clash and called on Indian media to stop exaggerating it or dwelling on the issue. Some longer Chinese news stories, such as a piece in the Global Times, go even further by framing the dispute as an example of India’s “zero-sum game” geopolitical thinking that works to obstruct rather than advance the bilateral relationship.
In the coming months, it will be important to see if the de-escalation efforts are successful and whether they can stick for the long haul. A war over the LAC is still unlikely, but it is impossible to predict what will happen when the two militaries’ patrols diverge and they start firing at each other.