Why have ties between India and China, which together account for over 40% of the global population, been strained for more than 60 years? After a conflict in 1962, there were several years of tense quiet, but subsequent severe military conflicts have highlighted their vast and widening divisions. The differences between them are examined in this book in four key areas: their perceptions and preconceptions of one another; their ongoing border disputes; their shifting relationships with America and Russia; and the growing power imbalance between them, which impacts every aspect of their relationship. India seeks acceptance and respect as an equal whereas China demands deference as a Great Power and the dominant nation in Asia. With such a wide gap between the twoneighbours, what does the future hold? In this lucid, informative, and insightful book, a leading expert on the subject decodes the complex history of India?China relations and argues that the path ahead is a difficult one that could see more military confrontations, including violent border clashes. Crucial to the relationship will be India?s ability to reduce the enormous gap with China in economic, military, and even soft power.