Will International Alliances by India be able to tame China?

The People’s Republic of China has been one of the fastest-growing economies in the 21st century and is an emerging global superpower competing with neighboring countries such as India. China is also the world’s largest exporter and as such has managed to become a dependent structure in the world economy. This situation coupled with the growth in the scale of the military, China has begun an aggressive foreign policy starting with its skirmishes in the Sino-Indian border with India to South-china sea with Philipines. The recent reports by China to build a dam on the Yarlung Zangbo River (Tibetan name for the Brahmaputra) which might affect India as well as Bangladesh raise eyebrows due to China’s notorious behavior as an upper-riparian controlling the water of nations downstream. This might also be a major game-changer if the two countries were to engage in a military standoff.

China’s growing power was perceived by a multitude of countries including Japan, India, USA and Australia which led to the formation of QSD (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue). It was the brainchild of the former Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe aimed to create a democratic arc of influence against the rising tide of China. It ceased to exist in 2008 but was revived in 2020 owing to the recent acts of violence against democracy by China. Also, the US-China trade war saw Mike Pompeo last year formulating a new US Indo-pacific strategy aimed at higher levels of cooperation among India, Japan, Australia and the US. Although the primary reason for the strategy is the ratification of US power in the pacific and Indian ocean region, it is a necessary evil to thwart the Chinese invasion of our borders.

India has very few options for strong-arming Chinese oppression of which the primary is to add heavy import tariffs to Chinese goods. Although India has significantly reduced its import from China by more than 40%, it comes at a cost of shifting these import avenues. Also, as seen in the past, an economical war is not one where China can be defeated. Also, as seen from the conflict with the Philippines, China doesn’t heed International diplomacy and sweet-talking. As such, India needs to formulate strong political and military alliances that can provide a cushion and a food-for-thought for China in the case of an escalation with its neighbors.