Squaring Off Again In The Himalayan

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.