You may recall that last summer there was a pretty serious brawl between armed forces for China and India in a disputed border region in the Himalayas. At the time, reports suggested about 20 Indian troops were killed in a battle involving hundreds of combatants on both sides. No guns were involved. Troops on both sides were using clubs and rocks to beat each other. There were reports at the time that dozens of Chinese soldiers had been injured and an unknown number killed. Satellite images release at the time indicated that China has been doing heavy construction near the border, possible damning up a river. Also, China set up an outpost on the Indian side of the line of control.

Since that brawl the two sides have been engaged in multiple rounds of talks to reduce tensions in the region. But according to reports from Indian media outlets there was another skirmish just a few days ago:

Sources said Chinese soldiers tried to cross the border last week but were challenged by Indian soldiers in Naku La in North Sikkim, which resulted in a violent clash.

The violent clash resulted in injuries on both sides, sources added. While around 20 Chinese soldiers were injured in the clash at Naku La in Sikkim, on the Indian side, four Indian Army soldiers reportedly sustained injuries.

The Indian military admitted there had been a “minor face-off” but downplayed the seriousness of it. Meanwhile, Chinese media outright denied anything had happened. The Global Times headline called it fake news:

Indian media reports on Monday claiming Chinese and Indian troops engaged in a clash three days ago that resulted in injuries on both sides are fake, the Global Times learned from a source on Monday.

There is no record of this incident in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) front line patrol logs, the Global Times learned.

Whatever they say after the fact, there’s no doubt there is some ongoing tension between the two nations. Earlier this month an Indian news outlet reported China was recently caught building homes in another disputed border region:

China has constructed a new village in Arunachal Pradesh, consisting of about 101 homes, show satellite images accessed exclusively by NDTV. The same images, dated November 1, 2020, have been analysed by several experts approached by NDTV, who confirmed that the construction, approximately 4.5 kms within Indian territory of the de facto border, will be of huge concern to India. Though this area is Indian territory, according to official government maps, it has been in effective Chinese control since 1959. However, earlier only a Chinese military post existed, but this time a full-fledged village that can house thousands has been built…

An authentic online map of the Surveyor General of India, used by the government as its official map, clearly shows that the Chinese village lies well within Indian territory.

Whether it’s the border with India or the South China Sea, China is continuing to push the limits, testing to see what the new Biden administration will allow it to get away with.