An Indian military convoy drives on a road near the India-China border in Gagangir, India. (Photo via Getty Images)
India-China Clash Echoes Around the World
Six months of increasing tensions between India and China reached a seminal moment last week during a deadly clash in the Galwan Valley, marking the first time the People’s Liberation Army engaged in direct combat under Xi Jinping’s leadership. The skirmish between the major powers came on the heels of China's recent power grab legislation targeting Hong Kong, economic threats aimed at Australia, and the Chinese Communist Party’s growing pugnacity towards Japan, Taiwan, and nations across Southeast Asia.
Yesterday during an event on the confrontation, Hudson scholars weighed in on what is motivating Beijing's increasingly provocative global demeanor and what it means for the United States and its allies.
Hudson Director of the Initiative on the Future of India and South Asia Aparna Pande gave historical context to the current flare-up:
"Modern India [accepted] the boundary line it inherited from the British Empire. China has never accepted the borders it inherited, and since 1950 has consistently sought to change the ground reality along the 2,167 mile long border. ... The current stand-off represents an escalation not seen since 1962."
John Lee, Hudson senior fellow and former advisor to the Australian Foreign Minister, underscored the CCP's efforts at global dominance and why Australia's policymakers are no longer ignoring China's provocations toward India:
"Beijing has a general approach when it comes to territorial or political disputes. It will seek to change the territorial, political, or even psychological status quo in its favor and only then seek to deescalate through dialogue and diplomacy. There are strong similarities between China's approach to India at the moment and China's approach to Australia. ... This is the first time strategically and politically [Australia's] political class have watched what has occurred between India and China and linked that to the common maritime and economic interests that we have with India and [with the United States and Japan]."
Hudson Asia-Pacific Security Chair Patrick M. Cronin outlined the pattern of Beijing’s hostile actions, and how the U.S. and allies can respond:
"I do see what China is doing along the Himalayan frontier with India as part of their total competition campaign. The calculus that has been made in Beijing, by Xi Jinping, and the Chinese Communist Party seems clear. ... I'd say these actions [along the border] on the 15th of June were premeditated. They were part of a pugnacious, even over-extended, foreign policy hand that Xi Jinping is increasingly playing around the region and globally. It is hard not to see Beijing's external policy as driven by this kind of incremental imperial expansion. It wants to control the future economic and technological connectivity and the lines of communication well beyond the old silk road….We've seen the decibels of China’s rhetoric rise over the last six months. And now we've got actual bloodshed by Chinese troops on their border. That is a watershed."
Speaking about the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) among the United States, Japan, India, and Australia, Pande suggested that increasing the number of democratic countries within the informal dialogue could counter China's aggression:
"The 'Quad' is something China is worried and concerned about. Especially now that we are talking about 'Quad plus' ... including ASEAN and even many of the European countries. You may have more democracies with military and maritime presence in the region."
For more on India’s response to the India-China skirmish and broader global role, tune in next Monday when Hudson hosts Indian Ambassador to the U.S. Taranjit Singh Sandhu for a discussion on the U.S.-India partnership.
Quotes have been edited for length and clarity.
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Upcoming Events
Monday, June 29
12:00 p.m.
Video Event | Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu on the U.S.-India Partnership
Featuring Aparna Pande and Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu
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