A skirmish is a brief small-scale noncommital hostilities or fighting, particularly between troops from different nations. Often, these incidents occur in a disputed area like Kashmir. This kind of incident is a reminder that India and China remain on a very thin ice when it comes to the long-running border dispute, and that miscalculation or provocation could lead to a full-scale war.
China and India have a 1,200-mile disputed border that isn’t demarcated. Neither side has accepted the line defined by the international community, leading to regular border transgressions and occasionally serious standoffs such as the 73-day one in Doklam in 2017. Both sides have a history of using their military presence along the border to inflame nationalist sentiment.
This month’s skirmish at the disputed zone near the trijunction of India, China and Bhutan was no exception. It began when China deployed troops to a remote stretch of the disputed border and intruded into Indian territory. In response, India returned fire and a brief standoff ensued.
Various international interlocutors have called on both countries to exercise maximum restraint and resolve their differences through peaceful means. This call was echoed in a 24 July statement by the UN deputy spokesperson, Farhan Haq, and is expected to be reiterated at today’s Security Council meeting.
As tensions continue to rise, both sides should consider restoring discussions at top military levels, setting up hotlines and creating more buffer zones along stretches of the border where clashes have flared up in the past. Otherwise, India and China will be forever locked in a cycle of confrontation that has the potential to escalate into a much more dangerous crisis.
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