In the last few years, especially after Trump came to power, Beijing has been increasingly affected by Indo-US bonhomie. Amid the ongoing border clash between China and India, Global Times, the English language mouthpiece of the Communist Party, has regularly opined that Washington is behind New Delhi’s growing assertiveness.
Yesterday, a few hours after the border clash in which soldiers on both sides were killed, Global Times published an article titled- Washington feeds off New Delhi’s impulsiveness. The writer noted the fact that the US Department of State said that it was “closely monitoring the situation between Indian and Chinese forces along the Line of Actual Control.”
The writer also wrote, “India, the largest democracy in the world, seemingly gets the support of Western democracies when there is a dispute between New Delhi and Beijing.”
This is not the first time that the Communist party mouthpiece has expressed fear and frustration about India’s close relations with the United States and other western democracies. On June 5, when India responded positively to Trump’s call for the expansion of G7 to include India, Global Times published an editorial titled, ‘India plays with fire spicing up G7 expansion’.
“The idea of G7 expansion carries geopolitical calculations with an obvious attempt to contain China. The US is keen on roping India is not only because the latter has become the fifth-largest economy in the world, but also because India is considered an important pillar for the US’ Indo-Pacific Strategy. The US has long sought to strengthen India’s role as a counterbalance to China in the Indo-Pacific region,” noted the article.
This whole article is an excellent read up and tells us about China’s insecurity with India joining the powerful group, to which China was not invited despite being the second-largest economy of the world. This article also tells us about China’s sense of helplessness with being left alone in a world led by Trump- China’s arch-enemy.
China is upping the ante on the border probably to send a message that the Communist government is not afraid of India joining the powerful international group. But, this also shows its insecurity with changing world order.
Global Times also published an article titled- India should eschew Western views of China for border piece on May 25, in which it argued, “Although a handful of Indian media outlets and social organizations echo the Trump administration’s views, the Indian government should keep a sober head to not be used as cannon ash by the US.”
In the emerging global order, it looks like the two poles of the world- India and the United States, are coming together to counter the rising threat from China. Currently, India, China, the United States, and the European Union are the four most powerful entities in the world. Given the fact that the stature of the European Union is fast deteriorating and does not have a single defense policy, the only countries that could lead the global order are the United States, China, and India, which are now considered three poles of the world by International Relations experts.
If India and the United States come together and make an alliance with other democratic countries, China would be left as a lone wolf. The trend of China getting alone, left with no powerful friends, is already visible. And therefore, the Communist government is feeling increasingly insecure with the developing world order.
In November last year, the United States held the first joint exercise with all three branches of Indian Armed Forces, which, obviously, did not go well with the dragon. The United States has the world’s largest defense budget almost three times that of China, and the most advanced intelligence gathering agencies.
Combined with India’s battle-hardened armed forces, and a navy which dominates the Indian Ocean, Indo-US military alliance could produce the world’s most deadly combination, which would in the interest of both countries. India could maintain its hegemony in the Indian Ocean and reclaim occupied areas of Jammu & Kashmir from China and Pakistan, and the United States could protect its allies in the South China Sea like Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines. While India and the US contain Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean, India could also be compelled to move towards the South China sea with its allies from the Quad.
The United States desperately needs a powerful ally in the Indo-Pacific region to counter the growing assertiveness of China, and no other country but India has the capacity to take on the dragon.
India would be assisted by Australia and Japan to take on China. Almost all the neighboring countries of China wish to challenge the expansionist policies of the dragon, and they would be more than happy to join the Indo-US military alliance.
So on both the military and economic fronts, India and the US could the turn the tide against China for good. China wants the existing multilateralism and the global liberal order to be defended and maintained, as it benefits Beijing, which became the second-largest economy due to the previous phase of globalization. This is why China wants to scare India off from being assertive but India is way past the point of backing down.