The road to resolution on the India-China border just got longer. As the standoff near Doklam enters its third month, the two countries are opening another front on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), their de facto border. On Aug. 24, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized India for approving the construction of a road near Pangong Lake, which lies along a western section of the LAC where Indian and Chinese troops reportedly engaged in a recent scuffle. Though it was originally proposed by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police some 15 years ago, the planned road construction project was reportedly in response to that scuffle. India triggered the current standoff between the two regional powers when it accused China of unilaterally altering the status quo in the disputed Doklam Plateau area by building a road extension. Now, it appears to be China's turn to make a similar claim.
The timeline for the construction of the new project near Pangong Lake is unknown, but the plan indicates New Delhi's unwillingness to back down from the border standoff. When Beijing began massive infrastructure work on highways, railroads, tunnels, and bridges near the LAC, it exposed New Delhi's strategic disadvantages along the border. And New Delhi has therefore started trying to reinforce its defenses.
Despite their protracted dispute, both nations show little interest in seriously escalating the situation, as evidenced by calculated rhetoric from their political leaders. Still, they have limited space to back down. Beijing is in a sensitive period of political transition, which has forced it to balance rising nationalist sentiments at home with its current position in global affairs. Likewise, New Delhi is uninterested in backing down unless doing so can be portrayed domestically as a diplomatic victory. Thus, the two sides risk an extended standoff or even skirmishes along their shared border.
Beyond that border, old rivalries are resurfacing. China continues pushing forward on a number of actions, including its Belt and Road Initiative, its work with Pakistan on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, its port project with Sri Lanka and its various infrastructure projects with Nepal. New Delhi is worried that Beijing has begun encroaching on India's traditional sphere of influence. So India has attempted to counterbalance China's efforts by enacting its own infrastructure projects in Africa and accelerating its Act East push, which includes partnerships with Japan and Vietnam. The latest road construction controversy near Pangong Lake highlights just one among many sources of disagreement between India and China.
China, India: Roads, Trains and Infrastructure Pains is republished with permission from Stratfor.com.
