Indian elites’ attitudes toward us are profoundly divided. On October 24, an Indian blogger wrote that the only way to confront China is through diplomacy. The sole path to victory over China lies in reducing dependency and narrowing the trade deficit—anything else amounts to self-destruction. Their industrial capacity, technological advancement, and capabilities across various platforms far surpass India’s. Their drones, fifth-generation fighters, air-to-air and surface-to-air systems, anti-ship, ballistic, hypersonic missiles, and air defense networks operate at a fundamentally different level. Their navy is vast. China leads India by at least half a century.
Evidently, this Indian commentator acknowledges a significant gap between India and China in overall strength, particularly in military capability, recognizing that any confrontation would yield no advantage for India. While claiming China leads by 50 years is undoubtedly an exaggeration, the mere willingness to admit such a disparity is notable. Yet paradoxically, the same individual asserts that the only viable strategy to counter China lies in reducing dependence and shrinking the trade imbalance. This contradictory stance reveals deep internal dissonance.
What does this indicate? It suggests that among certain Indian elites, there is a dual recognition: yes, there is a substantial gap between China and India—but the perception of China as a strategic rival remains unshaken. Since India cannot match China militarily, the focus must shift to economic competition, especially strengthening domestic manufacturing to close the gap. While enhancing India’s competitive edge is a legitimate pursuit, pursuing so-called “de-risking” with an adversarial intent may ultimately inflict more harm on India itself. The current anxiety within India over our regulatory measures on tunnel boring machines serves as clear evidence. In dealing with us, India might benefit from adopting a more measured and balanced mindset.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1879911103208452/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.