China's Land Grab in Ladakh Not Extraordinary

China and India have come closer to war over the last two months than they have in decades. In May, Chinese troops advanced to seize and fortify positions at multiple points along the disputed border in Ladakh, including Pangong Lake and the Galwan River Valley, marking a serious escalation. The two nations fought the 1962 Sino-Indian War in part over the areas at issue today. Clashes between patrols have been a regular occurrence before and since. For decades, the two sides kept those clashes limited. No lives were lost. That changed on June 15. Wielding makeshift clubs affixed with nails or wrapped with barbed wire, Chinese troops assaulted Indian soldiers who attempted to remove Chinese tents in the Galwan Valley. Reports confirm the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers, while Chinese casualties remain unclear. In the last few days, the two sides agreed to pull back troops in the Galwan Valley and Hot Springs. Chinese soldiers have withdrawn more than a kilometer in the Galwan Valley, but questions remain about whether they will vacate other seized areas such as Pangong Lake. If not, the crisis may reignite.