evidence: India-China tensions have recently escalated at two Himalayan flashpoints: Ladakh and Sikkim. On 5 May, scuffles broke out between Chinese and Indian soldiers near Pangong Tso, a lake that straddles the border in Ladakh. At the same time, there were skirmishes near Nathu La, a mountain pass that marks the border in Sikkim. 10,000 Chinese soldiers are thought to remain camped at Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley and Demchok in Ladakh, and near Nathu La in Sikkim. [...] The territorial claims to Ladakh rest on competing readings of historical treaties. The Treaty of Tingmosgang, for example, has been used by India to claim Ladakh, as it describes a distinction between Ladakh and Tibet. Ladakh and Tibet shared a boundary more than 1000 kilometres long. The treaty actually defines it as one checkpost, at the Lhari Stream near Demchok. [...] India’s claim is further based on the boundaries of the Dogra Empire. The Tibetans, Ladakhis and Dogra signed a treaty in Leh in 1842. It likewise focused on trade and religious exchange. It left trade in the hands of Ladakhis and reaffirmed the post at Demchok.