A new investigation by The Washington Post claims that the recently established buffer zones along the India-China border have quietly shifted control, in China’s favour. The report quotes Indian officials from Ladakh saying that soldiers are now restricted from patrolling areas they once routinely accessed, with nearly 450 square kilometres of Indian land effectively lost to “buffering.” The story raises a chilling question: Has peace at the border come at the cost of territory? As New Delhi and Beijing exchange smiles and trade deals, India’s forces are being pushed further from the Line of Actual Control. The timing is delicate, India is also navigating strained ties with Washington, an unpredictable ally, while recalibrating relations with Beijing and Moscow. The question now is: Can India afford diplomacy built on trust, when history has shown that trust has always come at a territorial cost?