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
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.
In recent years, China has become increasingly apprehensive about the growing strategic partnership between Delhi and Washington, particularly on the military front. At the time of the 2008 Indo-US nuclear deal, China’s policymakers vehemently criticised both sides for undermining global standards on non-proliferation and demanded a similar deal for Pakistan, regardless of its commitments to the NSG. Some in China’s strategic circles believe Beijing could use its support of Delhi’s entry as a carrot to move India away from its strategic embrace of the US.
