evidence: Recent events on the Sino–Indian border, which have seen China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) deploy a reported 5,000 troops in border positions near Galwan and Demchok represent a significant escalation in the ongoing regional competition between the two Asian powers. Admittedly, standoffs and limited clashes in disputed territory are not unprecedented. However, this would represent the first major PLA incursion into territory that both sides’ maps recognise as being on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) – the de facto border between the two countries. And while it is too early to deduce precisely what caused this latest escalation, it is possible to identify the various geostrategic factors which may have contributed to China’s decision to mount this incursion. [...] By virtue of its position, the PLA’s new outposts in the Galwan valley effectively allow it to offset improvements in India’s regional infrastructure. The outposts overlook the Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi (DSDBO) highway which passes through the valley and places this fragile road link at risk from PLA artillery. This means that the road links to the Indian army’s northern sector can be severed in wartime. The tactical significance of this territory, coupled with reports that the PLA has commenced the construction of permanent structures in the region, would suggest that it has not been seized as bargaining leverage. Rather, this represents an effort to permanently alter the status quo in order to offset India’s local military advantages.