India-China Relations — The Cautious Reset

India and China are inching through a guarded thaw. After the deadly 2020 Galwan clash froze ties, the two armies pulled back from the last friction points in eastern Ladakh under an October 2024 understanding, and the two capitals have since restarted pilgrim travel, high-level visits and long-stalled talks. Yet the reset stays cautious: large troop concentrations still face off along the Line of Actual Control awaiting genuine de-escalation, China's planned mega-dam on the Brahmaputra alarms downstream India, Beijing keeps rechristening places in Arunachal Pradesh, and India's exposure to Chinese critical-mineral curbs remains a sore point.