Violence broke out Monday afternoon and went on until midnight on the Tibetan plateau along the freezing Galwan river, Indian officials reported – the first time in 45 years that a military skirmish along the contested Himalayan border had turned deadly. The fight signalled a sharp deterioration in ties between the two regional giants. It’s not in either country’s interests to be locked into a bloody border conflict, said Assistant Professor Anit Mukherjee from RSIS. “This standoff – with a loss of lives – is a very serious development,” Mukherjee said.