Since the 1962 war, in which India suffered a disastrous defeat, a series of crises have punctuated Sino-Indian relations. The most serious of these probably took place in 1967 and in 2020. Both of these crises led to actual clashes between the Indian Army and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) exacting material and human costs on both sides. Within the past decade, the PLA has made several limited probes along the Sino-Indian border, largely to test Indian resolve. These actions are unlikely to end, especially as the PLA has improved its infrastructure along the disputed border and is also bolstering its military capabilities. Consequently, there is every likelihood that further crises are likely to ensue.

The final chapter evaluates the state of the region before the Sino-Indian War of 1962 and illustrates how colonial practices produced a disputed postcolonial borderland in independent India. It reexamines local perspectives and the political rearticulation of Ladakh as a crucial frontier of India against threats from China and Pakistan. Finally, it highlights the enduring legacy of imperial border making: the inherited complex of practices and ideas about territory, borders, and security, magnified by the significance of a nation-state for which its citizens were willing to die.