DHRITI ROY, Associate Professor and Head, Department of Chinese, School of Languages, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Introduction
The world is witnessing a tectonic shift in contemporary global geo-politics. India shares a 3,488-kilometre land border with China — the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) — and has experienced direct military confrontations, most recently in the Galwan Valley in June 2020. The Galwan clash resulted in casualties on both sides for the first time since 1975.
The China Challenge
China’s strategic behaviour in the Indo-Pacific reflects the priorities of what President Xi Jinping has called the “new era” of Chinese power — expanding China’s security perimeter, asserting maritime claims in the South China Sea, deepening economic penetration of South Asia through BRI, and building military capacity across the full spectrum of conventional and unconventional warfare.
India’s Strategic Response
India’s response has been multidimensional — deepening engagement with the Quad, strengthening strategic partnerships with the United States, Japan, Australia and France, accelerating infrastructure development along the LAC, and inducting new weapon systems with increased forward deployments.
Conclusion
India’s security concerns amidst the tectonic shifts of contemporary geopolitics are real, urgent and multidimensional. The China challenge demands sustained strategic attention, adequate resource allocation, and creative diplomatic manoeuvrability.