Rising India and China: Strategic Rivalry in the Himalayas and the Indo- Pacific, Volume 2 (2025)

This book, part of a two-volume exploration, examines the trajectory of Sino-Indian relations, spanning from the aftermath of 1962 war in the Himalayas to the growing rivalries in the Indo-Pacific. It scrutinizes the decade-long diplomatic freeze post-1962, analysing China's propaganda, collusion with Pakistan, and supporting insurgency in India's northeast. It delves into the rebalancing approaches starting from Rajiv Gandhi's pivotal 1988 China visit to finding an equilibrium with China and then losing it after three decades owing to widening asymmetries with China, resulting in the crisis of confidence building and a prolonged military standoff in the Western Sector in the aftermath of the Galwan face off. Furthermore, it explores the Indian choices for finding a new equilibrium with China navigating China's discourse on the Indo-Pacific strategy, India's equations with major powers, and makes enquiries into China's military modernization and implications to India in a complex security environment influenced by internal and external factors, economic considerations, and global power dynamics. This book, part of a two-volume exploration, examines the trajectory of Sino-Indian relations, spanning from the aftermath of 1962 war in the Himalayas to the growing rivalries in the Indo-Pacific. It scrutinizes the decade-long diplomatic freeze post-1962, analysing China's propaganda, collusion with Pakistan, and supporting insurgency in India's northeast. It delves into the rebalancing approaches starting from Rajiv Gandhi's pivotal 1988 China visit to finding an equilibrium with China and then losing it after three decades owing to widening asymmetries with China, resulting in the crisis of confidence building and a prolonged military standoff in the Western Sector in the aftermath of the Galwan face off. Furthermore, it explores the Indian choices for finding a new equilibrium with China navigating China's discourse on the Indo-Pacific strategy, India's equations with major powers, and makes enquiries into China's military modernization and implications to India in a complex security environment influenced by internal and external factors, economic considerations, and global power dynamics.