ASSESSMENTS

Crossing the Line of Actual Control

Sep 12, 2017 | 11:21 GMT

A woman works in the fields of Arunachal Pradesh, a territory India controls but China claims as part of Tibet.

After 19 rounds of talks, China and India still disagree on the location of the border between them -- and over which side rightfully controls the territories of Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh.

(SABIRMALLICK/iStock)

Forecast Highlights

Pakistan's involvement in Kashmir will make it harder for India and China to resolve their disagreement over the strategically significant territories of Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh.
The enduring border dispute will further strain security ties between China and India and could spill over into other parts of their relationship.
Confrontations between the two nuclear powers will become more frequent along the Line of Actual Control as China asserts its claim to disputed territories more aggressively, and as nationalism gains traction on both sides of the border.

The Line of Actual Control (LAC), the 4,057-kilometer boundary that runs between China and India along the arc of the world's highest mountains, has caused its share of strife. Over the years, the LAC has sparked standoffs, skirmishes and war between the two expanding nuclear powers. To try to keep the peace, Beijing and New Delhi began a dialogue in 2003 called the Special Representatives Meeting on the India-China Boundary Question. Yet 19 rounds of talks later, China and India still disagree on the location of the border between them -- and over which side rightfully controls the territories of Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh. Despite their enduring differences, India and China largely have managed to keep their border disputes from spilling over into other aspects of their relationship, such as trade. But that may start to change. As China forges deeper ties with India's nuclear archrival, Pakistan, and as each...

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