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Opinion
India will continue boosting its nuclear and missile capabilities to counter China – and Beijing will keep responding
- Vinay Kaura says that while traditionally focused on Pakistan, India’s defence objectives now clearly also include deterring China – and Beijing’s actions show that it has noticed
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Vinay Kaura, PhD, is an assistant professor in international affairs and security studies, at Sardar Patel University of Police, Security and Criminal Justice, Rajasthan, India.
China has not diluted its persistent opposition to India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Beijing has asked Delhi to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) before it gains entry into the 48-member group, as there is no precedent for the inclusion of non-NPT countries.
Beijing is staunchly opposed to Delhi acquiring legitimate and equal footing in the global nuclear regime. It has sought to group India and Pakistan together, arguing that the two South Asian nuclear rivals are non-signatories to the NPT. China’s advocacy of a “criteria-based approach” would ensure that either both are included in the group, or neither are.
The nuclear weapons issue is not always at the centre of the Sino-Indian relationship, but is nevertheless important: the nuclear forces and policies of India and China have a direct bearing on the threat perceptions of the other.
India’s nuclear programme has been a direct response to China’s strategic threat. Delhi has been keen to acquire an assured second-strike capability against China to fulfil the requirements of deterrence. India’s concerns over the China-Pakistan nuclear nexus are also long-standing, and not without reason. From conception to delivery, Pakistan’s clandestine nuclear weapons programme has been dependent on supplies from China.
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