I am sure you must know or have heard of someone who has made a serious error in life, paid dearly for it, and yet after many years seems to be on the verge of making exactly the same mistake. This is the case with India, which seems intent on repeating the colossal mistake it made in 1962. There is still time for it to remedy its error, however.

India's troops are trespassing in Donglang. The Sino-Indian border is a complex and fascinating legacy of history. Most of it has neither been delineated (agreed in words or on paper) nor demarcated (both parties having gone to the area and physically drawn a boundary). The infamous, so-called McMahon line was delineated (not demarcated) by the British, and it is irrelevant because China refused to accept it. However, the 220 kilometer Sikkim sector of the border between China and India which Indian troops crossed on June 18 was clearly demarcated in 1890 and has been respected by both parties ever since. India has clearly broken international law here.

Already a few senior Indian politicians have declared that Indians should not buy Chinese goods. This will hurt India more than China. To begin with, China's exports to India account for 2 percent of China's total exports. More important, for India, if Chinese investment in India stops, it will hurt the Indian economy drastically and will have a huge impact on Indian jobs. It will also hurt the Indian consumers who will have to buy much more expensive products of the same quality. India's economy, after decades of bad planning, is on the rise, but it needs trade with China and Chinese investment to continue to do so.