“China’s dedicated support to the Pakistanis in moments of war has made it clear – it will remain India’s primary adversary,” argues Nitin A. Gokhale, Editor-in-Chief StratNewsGlobal.
In an interview telecast ahead of the anniversary of the Galwan clash five years back, he noted that China not only provided arms that Pakistan used against India during Operation Sindoor, it also supplied intelligence and satellite equipment.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi went a step further, warning India that “China fully understands Pakistan’s legitimate security concerns and supports Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty and security interests.”
In Gokhale’s view, there should be no doubt about the danger this country faces from China on the Line of Actual Control, not just in Ladakh but also in the central and eastern sectors.
Hence, although there is no specific tension between the two countries, Delhi has realised the need to secure itself. More money is being given to the Border Roads Organization to build new and improve old infrastructure in frontier areas. Time-bound projects are being launched and completed.
The Andaman and Nicobar group of islands on the eastern seaboard is also transforming from a strategic outpost to a launchpad for active policy. This marks a major shift: India is telling China that its “dual play approach”, where it would profess friendship and vow that “Two Asian powers” can rise together, has no takers here.
Gokhale struck a note of caution here: the current peace between China and India is an uneasy one. It could collapse in the event of India-Pakistan tensions rising again, which cannot be ruled out. India has reiterated that Operation Sindoor has not ended, it has merely been suspended for the time being, and everything hinges on Pakistan’s good behaviour.
However, India needs to ensure that it engages with China more constructively and creatively. China must remain a competitor, not a contestant or an adversary, in larger and military terms.
