Opinion | China-India border dispute is a ticking time bomb in regional politics

Revelations that this month’s violent clash in the Himalayas is just one of many in the past two years indicate a change from previous disputes

Neither side appears willing to take the first step towards normalising ties which have ebbed and flowed since 1962

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Indian army soldiers near the disputed border with China in the Himalayas. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:00pm, 20 Dec 2022

This month’s violent clash between Chinese and Indian frontier troops at the eastern end of their disputed Himalayan border was disheartening.

More disturbing was the news that similar skirmishes have been occurring regularly, with both sides apparently trying to keep people in the dark to avoid stoking nationalist sentiment.

According to a report in The Telegraph last week, border clashes involving stones and canes are happening “every month” in Arunachal Pradesh – just like the December 9 encounter in the northeastern Indian state’s Tawang district, which China claims as part of south Tibet.

The Telegraph quoted an unnamed senior Indian Army officer who said these face-offs were happening “on average two or three times a month”, adding that there were “directions from the top not to discuss these incidents”.

The report also alleged that Chinese incursions had become more frequent in the past two years and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party “wants to play down the crisis with China”.

If true, the extent of the border incidents is deeply worrying and the alleged cover-ups are also unacceptable, if somewhat understandable.