What makes the China-India dispute so hot?

China and India, two nuclear-armed nations with a combined population of 2.7 billion, are locked in a military stalemate over a tract of land in Bhutan, a remote Himalayan kingdom.

The latest dispute between the two countries, which began in mid-June, is considered the most serious since the two countries fought a border war in 1962, Bloomberg reported. The dispute comes as the two rising regional powers vie for influence in the region.

The current flashpoint lies near a tri-junction between Bhutan, China’s Tibet region and India’s Sikkim. As a result of the disagreement, both China and India have increased their troop presence in the area.

Where does the disagreement come from?

Tensions flared when India protested against China extending a stretch of its border through a plateau that India calls Doklam and China calls Donglang.

The plateau lies at the junction of China, the northeastern Indian state of Sikkim and Bhutan. It is also a disputed area between Beijing and Thimphu. India supports Bhutan's claims to the Doklam plateau.

India fears that if completed, the road would give China access to India’s strategic but vulnerable artery, a 20km corridor that connects seven northeastern states to the country’s mainland.

Officials in New Delhi told regional analyst Subir Bhaumik that they had objected to the road opening as it could have allowed Chinese troops to storm Indian positions, destroying two bunkers at the nearby Lalten outpost.

"We did not fire, our soldiers just set up a human wall and prevented China from entering further," said an Indian general who asked not to be named.

Meanwhile, Chinese officials said that the Indian border guards' objection to the road opening was to block normal activities on the Chinese side. Beijing demanded that New Delhi immediately withdraw its troops.

How is the situation now?

Both India and China have deployed additional troops to the border area. According to media reports, soldiers from both sides are closely monitoring each other's every move.

Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui told Indian news agency PTI that New Delhi must withdraw its troops unconditionally for peace to be restored, a statement that China viewed as a diplomatic escalation.

China also retaliated by stopping 57 Indian pilgrims, who were on their way to Manas Sarovar Lake in Tibet, as they crossed the Nathu La Pass in Sikkim. Manas Sarova Lake is a sacred place for Hindus and India and China have previously had an official agreement on allowing devotees to visit the lake.

Meanwhile, Bhutan also asked China to stop opening the road, saying it was a violation of an agreement between the two countries.

What does India say?

Indian military experts say Sikkim is the only area through which India can counterattack if it is attacked by China unexpectedly. It is also the only route along the Himalayan border where the Indian Army has a tactical and topographical advantage. It has higher terrain while Chinese positions are squeezed between India and Bhutan.

"China knows that and they are always trying to prevent us from getting an advantage," retired Major General Gaganjit Singh, a former commander of India's border guards, told the BBC.

Last week, India's Ministry of External Affairs said that China's expansion of the road would change the existing status quo and seriously impact India's security.

Indian Defense and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also warned that the India of 2017 is very different from that of 1962 and that the country has the right to protect its territorial integrity.

What does China say?

China has reaffirmed its sovereignty over the area, claiming that the road under construction lies within its territory, accusing Indian troops of encroachment.

Beijing reminded that India must remember how it lost the 1962 war and warned that China is stronger now than it was decades ago.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said earlier this month that the border in Sikkim was demarcated in an 1890 agreement with the British and that India's violation was very serious.

China's Global Times also accused India of undermining Bhutan's sovereignty by interfering in the road project, even though Bhutan had asked China to stop the project.

Bhutan's role in the Sino-Indian dispute

Bhutan's ambassador to India, Vetsop Namgyel, said China's opening of the road was a violation of an agreement between the two countries. Bhutan and China do not have formal diplomatic relations but maintain contact through a mission in New Delhi.

Security analyst Jaideep Saikia told the BBC that Beijing was trying to deal with Thimphu directly.

What will happen?

Armed clashes have occurred between China and India since 1967, and tensions have flared up on occasion. The latest tensions appear to be the most serious escalation in recent years, commentators say.

However, most observers believe that a second war between China and India will not break out. India will hold elections in 2019 and the country will not risk conflict with a stronger opponent.

As for China, it also does not want to do anything that would damage the image it is building as a leading nation on the international stage.

According to Vietnamnet.vn