Context: There are various contentious issues between India-China relations, which need to be address.
Contentious issues between India and China
Continuing border tensions: China strongly increasing their presence around the border by massive infrastructure construction, induction of modern equipment, and a sharp rise in the military exercises directed towards India.
Incursion into Barahoti in Uttarakhand, increment of Chinese patrols in Arunachal Pradesh are some examples of spill overs.
Quantitative and Qualitative asymmetry: India has inducted more modern military platforms and systems on the China border.
Despite of it, the quantitative and qualitative asymmetry with the Chinese has widened in the past 20 months.
Technological asymmetry: Due to the sharp decline in Indian economy after demonetisation and the novel coronavirus pandemic make unable to generate enough resources for military modernisation.
Majoritarian politics in domestic front has left India vulnerable. The ruling ideology has also held captive the country’s foreign policy in the neighbourhood, adversely affecting Indian interests.
UAE-brokered backchannel deal with Pakistan due to India’s policies in Kashmir, or recent fracas with Bangladesh on the treatment of religious minorities are some examples.
Geopolitical issues in the Indo-Pacific: There were a hope on the external rebalancing via the Quad, but the grouping doesn’t have a ‘hard power’ agenda yet. That role seems to have devolved in AUKUS.
Closer ties between US and India leave questions of actual support during a Sino-India military crisis unanswered.
Lack of institutional checks and balances on political executive: There is lack of political accountability in India, as government has no appropriate data on any Chinese intrusion in Indian territory.
Eg: The Government denial about the Chinese ingress into Indian territory for months in Ladakh border crisis, or non-acknowledgement of Indian soldiers after the Galwan clash.