Xi plays tough, but can China afford to make an enemy of India?

The brutal ambush in the Himalayas is the latest aggressive move from Beijing by a nation battling crises on several fronts

The ambush set up by Chinese soldiers for an Indian patrol was medieval. In the high-altitude Himalayan no man's land claimed by both countries, their forces have agreed not to carry guns, to diminish the chance of the long-running territorial dispute flaring into open war.

So the People's Liberation Army had dammed up mountain streams, which they unblocked as the Indian troops approached. The rush of water knocked many off their feet, and then the Chinese soldiers swept down, brandishing sticks encrusted with nails, Indian media reported.