evidence: Sino-Indian War, (October 20–November 20, 1962), conflict between India and China, centred primarily on the disputed Aksai Chin region along those countries’ borders. [...] Aksai Chin in particular had been a long-ignored corner of the subcontinent because of its remoteness and isolation. However, this changed when the Chinese tried to connect Tibet with Xinjiang by building a military road through the region. India objected to the Chinese presence in the sector, which it claimed as part of the Ladakh region under Indian administration. [...] The Chinese leadership chose the height of the Cuban missile crisis as their moment of attack, apparently expecting a more drawn-out crisis in Cuba that would have distracted superpowers from intervening in India. But the swift resolution in Cuba in favour of the United States permitted Washington to respond to Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s request for help. With a U.S. aircraft carrier en route, China announced a unilateral ceasefire on November 20 and soon afterward withdrew from most of the invaded area. It retained control of about 14,700 square miles (38,000 square km) of territory in Aksai Chin, and the area remained a point of contention between the two countries.