In recent years, the People's Liberation Army has been taking advantage of its rising political clout to provoke localized skirmishes and standoffs with India by breaching the two countries' long and disputed Himalayan frontier. The PLA's recent intensification of such border violations cast a cloud over President Xi Jinping's visit to India this month, holding important implications for the future of the bilateral relationship.
In fact, such provocations have often preceded visits to India by Chinese leaders. Indeed, it was just before President Hu Jintao's 2006 visit that China resurrected its claim to India's large northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.
Likewise, prior to Premier Wen Jiabao's trip to India in 2010, China began issuing visas on loose sheets of paper stapled into the passports of Kashmir residents applying to enter China — an indirect challenge to India's sovereignty.