How a road on China and India’s border led to the two powers’ worst stand-off in decades

High in the Himalayas, Chinese and Indian troops are involved in a deepening military stand-off.

It began at the end of June when Indian troops stopped Chinese workers from carrying out a road-building project in a disputed border area. Both countries have about 3,000 soldiers on each side of the border in the area, which is also close to the mountainous country of Bhutan. In retaliation for the Indian move, China cut off access to a group of Indian pilgrims trying to cross a Chinese pass on their way to Mount Kailash, a sacred site in Tibet for Hindus and Buddhists.

Which areas of the Chinese-Indian border are in dispute?

Two parts of the border are the main focus of long-running disputes. The larger section lies to the east in a border area stretching between Bhutan and Myanmar. India’s side of the border covers Arunachal Pradesh, but China has claims in the area, which it calls South Tibet. India controls the Tawang monastery on its side of the border, a source of contention because it is one of the holy sites for Tibetan Buddhists.

The other main flashpoint on the two countries’ border is to the west on India’s border with the Chinese region of Xinjiang. The Aksai Chin area is administered by Hotan county in Xinjiang, but areas are also claimed by India as parts of the Ladakh region of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.