Page 12 - The Indian EYE 090426

Op-Ed SEPTEMBER 04, 2026 | The Indian Eye 12

India-China thaw: Why Delhi is choosing

strategic balance over strategic camps

As India and China cautiously rebuild ties after the Ladakh crisis, the upcoming visit of Xi
Jinping to New Delhi for the BRICS summit could mark an important test of whether their

thaw can move from border management to a broader strategic reset

ASHISH K SINGH tration’s Section 301 measures in July
imposed an additional 10 per cent
ndia-China relations are enter- duty on Indian imports linked to its
ing a delicate but consequential forced-labour investigation.
Iphase. The 25th round of Spe- India therefore has little interest
cial Representatives’ talks in Beijing, in allowing its foreign policy to become
led by National Security Adviser Ajit dependent on any single major power.
Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister China, too, has reasons to engage.
Wang Yi, has reinforced a message Beijing faces a difficult international
that would have seemed difficult to environment, including continuing
imagine a few years ago: New Delhi strategic competition with Washington.
and Beijing are again trying to nor- The economic relationship makes
malise a relationship damaged by the disengagement even less realistic. In-
2020 military confrontation along the dia’s official data show bilateral goods
Line of Actual Control. trade reached about $151.1 billion in
But this is not reconciliation. It is FY2025-26, although the Indian defi-
strategic realism. cit stood at more than $112 billion.
The two countries have agreed The relationship is therefore econom-
to continue working towards a politi- ically significant but structurally un-
cal settlement of the boundary ques- balanced.
tion, while expanding people-to-peo- This is where the Pakistan factor
ple exchanges, border trade and the enters the equation.
Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. They have For India, improved relations
also agreed to hold the next round of with China could reduce one of Paki-
boundary talks in India. Reuters re- stan’s most important strategic advan-
ported that both sides reaffirmed their tages: the ability to exploit simultane-
commitment to border peace and bet- ous pressure on India’s western and
ter communication mechanisms. northern fronts. China will remain
The border remains the central test. Pakistan’s close strategic partner, and
India cannot build a durable rela- there is no reason to expect Beijing-Is-
tionship with China while treating the lamabad ties to disappear. But a less
unresolved boundary as a secondary confrontational China-India relation-
issue. The lesson of 2020 is precisely ship can reduce the possibility of a
that economic engagement and polit- two-front security crisis for India.
ical dialogue cannot compensate for The coming months will therefore
military distrust. Peace and tranquilli- The 25th round of Special Representatives’ talks in Beijing, led by National Security Adviser test whether the India-China thaw is
ty along the border are therefore not Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, has reinforced a message that would have tactical or genuinely structural.
merely confidence-building measures; seemed difficult to imagine a few years ago (File photo) India is not lowering its guard. It
they are the foundation on which ev- is trying to create stability without sur-
ery other aspect of the relationship ing competition. post-Galwan freeze. More important- rendering its interests. China is doing
must rest. The possible visit of Chinese ly, BRICS gives both leaders a setting something similar.
This is where Doval’s talks ac- President Xi Jinping to India for the in which bilateral tensions can be dis- For India, the larger calculation
quire significance. India is not ask- BRICS summit in September could cussed alongside a larger conversation is clear. A strong relationship with the
ing China to abandon its territorial become the next major test. Xi’s vis- about the emerging multipolar order. US is valuable. Strong ties with Rus-
claims, nor is Beijing abandoning its it, if confirmed, would be his first to For India, this is particularly im- sia remain important. But strategic
positions. The immediate objective is India in seven years. Prime Minis- portant at a time when its relationship autonomy becomes meaningful only
more practical: prevent another con- ter Narendra Modi had invited Xi with the United States is becoming when India can maintain working re-
frontation, stabilise the frontier and to the 2026 BRICS summit during more complicated. lationships with competing centres of
create enough political space for the their 2025 meeting in Tianjin, where Washington remains a critical power simultaneously.
two sides to address their differences. both leaders stressed that differences strategic and economic partner, but The India-China thaw is there-
That distinction matters. The should not become disputes. the relationship is no longer free of fore not a retreat from India’s global
India-China relationship does not The symbolism will be consider- friction. Trade negotiations, tariffs and partnerships. It is an assertion of In-
require the two countries to become able. A Xi visit to New Delhi would disagreements over India’s economic dia’s independent strategic space.
friends. It requires them to become demonstrate that the relationship and strategic choices have introduced And the border remains the price
predictable rivals capable of manag- has moved beyond the immediate new uncertainties. The US adminis- of admission.

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