Dragon at the Doorstep: How China is Redefining India’s Foreign Policy choices?

Abstract

China’s contemporary posture toward India constitutes a multidimensional challenge that extends far beyond traditional border disputes. While Beijing continues to assert claims over territories such as Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh, and parts of Uttarakhand, its core strategy focuses on gradually altering the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) through calibrated, incremental encroachments often described as “salami-slicing.” This approach is reinforced by extensive investments in dual-use infrastructure—including roads, airfields, logistics hubs, and forward bases—that enhance China’s ability to mobilize rapidly and sustain military pressure. Frequent incursions and prolonged standoffs have exposed the fragility of existing confidence-building measures and cast doubt on China’s commitment to bilateral border agreements China’s assertiveness is also embedded in a broader strategy of strategic containment. Economically, its trade practices and expanding regional influence have constrained India’s leadership in South Asia. Strategically, deepening ties with India’s neighbours—particularly Pakistan through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as well as Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and the Maldives—have heightened perceptions of encirclement. Cyber operations, information warfare, growing missile and nuclear asymmetries, and repeated violations of the 1993 and 1996 agreements further indicate coercive diplomacy rather than cooperation. Dialogue mechanisms such as the Special Representatives’ talks and the WMCC have delivered limited outcomes, highlighting institutional inadequacies. India’s response reflects a shift from past restraint, combining military deployments, infrastructure upgrades, and diplomatic activism. However, structural constraints and China’s superior material capabilities limit India’s options, forcing a careful balance between deterrence and escalation avoidance.