India-China Border Tensions: Future Risks Behind the Himalayan Thaw

Patrolling rights restored, trade restrictions eased, Modi and Xi shaking hands at the SCO summit — yet a giant dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo, a detained traveler's passport, and 628 Chinese "defense villages" along the LAC reveal a thaw built on sand. The India-China relationship in 2026 manages a rivalry it has not resolved.