Signs of a Thaw in India, China Border Dispute

Posted: July 25th, 2017

By Sameer Lalwani

Sameer Lalwani is Deputy Director for Stimson's South Asia program. From 2014-15, Lalwani was a Stanton Nuclear Security Postdoctoral Fellow at the RAND Corporation. He completed his Ph.D. in political science at MIT and remains a Research Affiliate at MIT's Center for International Studies. His research interests include grand strategy, counterinsurgency, civil-military relations, ethnic conflict, nuclear security, and the national security politics of South Asia and the Middle East.

After six weeks, tensions remain high in the Dolam Plateau (within the Doklam area), a contested border area nestled between India, China, and Bhutan. China’s road building project on a disputed portion of its border with Bhutan presents a strategic threat, according to India. Such a road would allow Chinese troops to move quickly into Indian territory in the event of conflict. China asserts the road is on sovereign territory, but India will not back down because of the strategic location of the road. The stand off now sees Chinese and Indian troops just 150 meters apart along the contested border. Though neither side is prepared to back down, there are avenues to de-escalation. The Cipher Brief spoke to Sameer Lalwani, the Deputy Director of the Stimson Center’s South Asia Program, to learn more about how Asia’s two strongest powers can find a peaceful compromise.

The Cipher Brief: What are the origins of this border conflict, and what has precipitated the recent uptick in tensions?

“The Cipher Brief has become the most popular outlet for former intelligence officers; no media outlet is even a close second to The Cipher Brief in terms of the number of articles published by formers.” —Sept. 2018, Studies in Intelligence, Vol. 62

Access all of The Cipher Brief’s national security-focused expert insight by becoming a Cipher Brief Subscriber+ Member.

Subscriber+