Moreover, the Modi administration believes the border dispute limits cooperation between the neighboring economic powerhouses. Over the years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has offered multiple avenues to resolve the dispute. However, the frequent border incursions and military casualties constrain Modi’s policy options. Predictably, India’s exasperation with China’s border behavior has grown and become public.

Nevertheless, political and diplomatic negotiations are the only way to escape this conundrum. The Sino-Indian border dispute is unlikely to lead to a major war, as both sides are nuclear powers capable of destroying each other in a total war. Moreover, both states are led by a highly nationalist leader whose fate is tied to their nation’s territorial integrity. Therefore, neither side will fold over border clashes, even if they occur frequently. Looking forward, China and India will have to develop a new modus vivendi to coexist in the region.

Dr. Atul Kumar is a researcher at the Griffith Asia Institute at Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. He completed a Ph.D. on the Chinese military from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and worked on China's military and security policies.

Image: Reuters.