--- description: An editorial that ran in China's Global Times Tuesday has ramped up the rhetoric in a military dispute along the Sino-Indian border. title: Chinese Media Threatens India Over Sikkim Border Dispute image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdef8d84a08da69cb/6988d4650a4a2241159ceead/gettyimages-552643175.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [China](/tag/china/) ## China Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Chinese Media Says India Needs to Be Taught a 'Bitter Lesson' Over Its Border Dispute by [Joseph Hincks](/author/joseph-hincks/) ## Joseph Hincks Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 5, 2017 7:49 AM CUT  Sikkim Border, Rammam Border checkpoint, West Bengal India, March 20, 2015. Sikkim Border, Rammam Border checkpoint, West Bengal India, March 20, 2015.Nigel Killeen—Moment Editorial/Getty Images by [Joseph Hincks](/author/joseph-hincks/) ## Joseph Hincks Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 5, 2017 7:49 AM CUT An [editorial](http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1054925.shtml "undefined") that ran in China’s _Global Times_ Tuesday has ramped up the rhetoric in an ongoing military dispute along a portion of the Sino-Indian border. The English-language _Global Times_ is published under the aegis of the Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece, the _People’s Daily_. Under the headline, “India will suffer worse losses than in 1962 if it incites border clash” the newspaper said that New Delhi needed to be taught “a bitter lesson” for allegedly trespassing across the border in Sikkim border, known in China as Donglang. The headline refers to the year China launched offensives against India in the Ladakh region. “We firmly believe that the face-off in the Donglang area will end up with the Indian troops in retreat,” the editorial said. “The Indian military can choose to return to its territory with dignity, or be kicked out of the area by Chinese soldiers.” It continued: “The Chinese public is infuriated by India’s provocation. We believe the Chinese People’s Liberation Army is powerful enough to expel Indian troops out of Chinese territory.” Willy Lam, a professor at The Chinese University of Hong Kong’s centre for China studies, tells TIME that while hawkish editorials do not necessarily reflect the intention of the Chinese government, “this unusually pugilistic article \[is\] geared toward establishing the moral high ground for China.” It’s unlikely Beijing would want to risk an accidental skirmish with India, let alone a full-fledged war similar to that in 1962 — particularly in the midst of North Korean missile tests and diplomatic tension on multiple fronts over maritime borders. Nevertheless, says Lam, “Xi wants to appear strong and “in control” in the run-up to a critical party congress scheduled for late autumn.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4844804/china-india-border-sikkim-donglang/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4844804/china-india-border-sikkim-donglang/"},"headline":"Chinese Media Says India Needs to Be Taught a 'Bitter Lesson' Over Its Border Dispute","datePublished":"2017-07-05T07:49:03.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T16:25:53.128Z","description":"The Global Times takes a belligerent tone over alleged Indian incursions into what it says is Chinese territory","url":"https://time.com/4844804/china-india-border-sikkim-donglang/","keywords":["China","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdef8d84a08da69cb/6988d4650a4a2241159ceead/gettyimages-552643175.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Joseph Hincks","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/joseph-hincks/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdef8d84a08da69cb/6988d4650a4a2241159ceead/gettyimages-552643175.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"India's Cities & Landmarks","caption":"India's Cities & Landmarks","creditText":"Nigel Killeen—Moment Editorial/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/china/","name":"China"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4844804/china-india-border-sikkim-donglang/","name":"Chinese Media Says India Needs to Be Taught a 'Bitter Lesson' Over Its Border Dispute"}}]}] ```