Confrontation between the two might require US intervention...
An intelligence report by the US said that India and China's expanded military postures along the disputed border raise the risk of armed conflict between the two nuclear powers.
According to the US Intelligence Community's Annual Threat Assessment, previous standoffs between India and China have demonstrated that persistent low-level friction along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) has the potential to escalate rapidly.
If a confrontation took place between the two global powers then the situation might turn out to be dire and involve direct threats to US persons and interest which would call for a US intervention.
The report also stated that despite ongoing border talks, India-China relations will remain strained in the aftermath of the countries' lethal Galwan clash in 2020, the most serious in decades.
On the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting on March 2, Jaishankar met Qin Gang for the first time in person, amid the over 34-month-long border dispute in eastern Ladakh.
India has maintained that its relations with China cannot be normalised unless the border areas are peaceful.
The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now.