Publications Details

India and China: Assessing the Need to Strengthen Bilateral CBMs

Chansoria, Monika

India and China display a peculiar case of “constrained cooperation” 50 years after their border war, with convergence of economic interests tending to overlook strategic differences. While China acknowledges sharing an interest in a peaceful and stable South Asia, it perceives strengthened Indo-US ties as an attempt to enlist New Delhi as a counterweight to China or as part of a containment strategy against it. The Chinese realists are subdivided into “offensive”/“defensive” and “hard”/“soft” camps; each believes that the state has to build its own strength. The hard-power realists argue for strengthening national power–particularly the military and economic dimensions, while soft-power realism emphasizes diplomacy and cultural power. The “offensive realists” argue that China should use its newly built military, economic, and diplomatic influence to coerce others toward the ends China desires. A range of CBMs between India and China that could reduce frictions and establish common ground are discussed.