By Khedroob Thondup

The unsettled India–China border is not a problem waiting for a clever diplomatic solution. It is a structural friction point, engineered and sustained by Beijing’s long‑term strategy of salami slicing — the incremental nibbling away of territory, facts on the ground, and political narratives. As long as this strategy remains central to China’s rise, the border will not stabilise. It will simmer, flare, and recede in cycles, but never resolve.

The Core Argument. China’s salami slicing ensures that the border is not a line to be agreed upon but a moving frontier to be shaped. India, meanwhile, treats the border as a sovereign boundary that must be defended. These two philosophies are incompatible. The result is a perpetual tension that neither side can escape.

The Historical Logic Behind China’s Strategy. Tibet’s incorporation brought the PLA to I...