India-China Conflict: India Was Too Busy Befriending China While PLA Was Preparing For War: Expert May 14, 2021 India’s Modi government “failed to foresee” China’s aggression in the Himalayas, leading to the prolonged border standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh, top Indian geostrategist claims. The two Asian neighbors have been at loggerheads ever since China took over Tibet in the 1950s. China did not recognize the ‘McMahon Line’ dividing India and Tibet, as delineated by the 1914 Simla Accord. After capturing Tibet, China started building a road through Aksai Chin which was claimed by India as eastern Ladakh. But like before, China was not legally bound by the Johnson-Ardagh Line of 1897 which put Aksai Chin inside Indian territory.