Water Wars: The Growing Conflict Along India and China’s Disputed Borders

Tensions continue to rise between the world's two most populous countries over the most important resource on the planet.

Indian and Chinese soldiers face off in Galwan Valley in 2020. Source

On June 15, 2020, hundreds of Indian and Chinese soldiers clashed in the disputed border regions of Aksai Chin and Ladakh amid a series of border skirmishes. The soldiers, armed with rods, clubs, stones, and batons, engaged in hand-to-hand combat for hours in the dark. The clashes resulted in the deaths of at least 20 Indian soldiers, with several others captured and an unknown number of Chinese casualties. Intense clashes also occurred at the contested Pangong Lake and along the disputed borders of Tibet. 

Border tensions between India and China—longstanding nuclear powers—are rising steadily after decades of relative stability. Water is at the heart of this conflict in some of the highest-altitude areas on earth, and outcomes here could determine the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people in the coming decades.

The Line of Control denotes the current India-Pakistan borders in disputed Jammu & Kashmir. The Line of Actual Control denotes the current India-China borders, which are also disputed. Source

Increased Militarization of the LAC

The Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China lacks official demarcation, allowing both countries to compete over contested territories. Key among these is Pangong Lake, where China launched its main offensive in its 1962 war against India, annexing Aksai Chin in the process. The 2020 clashes between the two countries were the first to result in deaths since the 1962 war. 

A 1996 agreement between India and China requires both countries to refrain from deploying forces with modern weapons along the LAC. For this reason, both sides use "medieval-style" weapons in close hand-to-hand combat. However, the two countries also accused each other of using guns in the Ladakh clashes of 2020. Although both sides consistently meet to defuse tensions, India maintains that China's aggressive posturing and actions aggravate the situation. At the same time, China claims the border situation is "stable."