Last year, the China and India nearly came to blows over a small Bhutanese region known as Doklam (known to the Chinese as Donglang). The Chinese were allegedly trying to extend a road that would reach into what India considered to be official Bhutanese territory even though China considered the matter an internal affair as it occurred in what they considered to be in their own territory. Since Bhutan did not have the military and international clout to stop China (which was actually destroying Bhutanese bunkers as it made space for the road's construction), it asked for Indian support. Eventually, by August 2017, the controversy settled down, but not before the Indian government sent over 300 troops and some bulldozers to Doklam to show that China's border incursion was not going to be tolerated. While this conflict ended relatively peacefully, future scuffles may not be as bloodless, as China is once again threatening a border conflict with India, this time over India's agricultural region of Sikkim.

Around the same time as the Doklam controversy, China also issued a threat directly to Indian regarding its Northeastern state of Sikkim. China's views the eastern regions of Sikkim to also be part of its rightful territory of Donglang, even though this claim is strongly disputed by India. Referring to Indian troops currently in Sikkim, China stated that the "Indian military can choose to return to its territory with dignity" or be "kicked out of the area by Chinese soldiers." China also warned that India would face "worse losses than in 1962 if it incites border clash." This is clearly a reference to the Sino-Indian war of 1962, where Chinese forces launched a surprise attack against Indian troops in the Ladakh border region, decisively defeating India in a conflict that only lasted about one month. It is worth noting that despite one year passing since this threat, tensions between the two countries have not really diffused substantially. Also, given China's past military successes against India as well as its currently superior military capabilities, China's threat remains highly credible. This may mean that it is only a matter of time before the two most populous countries on earth, with two of the world's largest armies and economies, could end up entering into a full-scale conflict over territorial disagreements. Who the US would support, and how the international community would react to this kind of warfare, is currently uncertain.