The feud between India and Pakistan has been going on for decades. The two countries have exchanged fire and gone to war over their claims of sovereignty over Kashmir, but the dispute remains unresolved.
However, with China making moves toward India’s territory, India seems to have shifted its military focus from Pakistan to China, an act that a former top Indian general confirmed in a speech.
Late chief of defense staff of the Indian armed forces Bipin Rawat died in a helicopter crash on Dec. 8.
The Times of India reported that Rawat had said that “China is our biggest enemy today, not Pakistan,” at a media forum on Nov. 11.
Since the beginning of a border conflict last year, India has been increasing infrastructure, soldiers and military equipment in contested areas, and is “well-prepared for any misadventure” or provocations whether at its borders or at sea, he added.
India and China share a 2,000km border, where there are conflicts in the western, middle and eastern sectors, leading to a tense relationship and occasional violent skirmishes.
For example, India fought a war with China over a territorial dispute in the Himalayas as early as 1962. After multiple negotiations, the two signed an agreement on partial withdrawal and formed a constructive partnership of cooperation, but this did not close the book on the issue.
In 1998, India started conducting nuclear tests while naming China as the No. 1 potential threat, which triggered a nuclear arms race in south Asia. The relationship between India and China started to deteriorate rapidly.
For the past two decades, China and India have held several negotiations over the border issue without making any significant progress, proven by last year’s Galwan Valley clash, which caused another military standoff and skirmish, resulting in deaths on both sides.
The underlying reason that India has not been able to make peace with China, or trust Beijing, is because China has been backing Pakistan on the Kashmir conflict and covertly supplying it with weapons over the past few decades.
China has also been deepening its relationship with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka with its Belt and Road Initiative, an act that India is apprehensive of.
To continue executing New Delhi’s Act East Policy and counter the looming threat of China, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been working in earnest with the US and Japan after being re-elected in 2019.
The navies and air forces of the three countries have held joint military maneuvers and exercises in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific.
For example, the US, Japan and India held a joint naval exercise called Exercise Malabar in November last year, with the goal of strengthening mutual defense cooperation.
Modi has also been pushing for military reform, and has purchased advanced weapons from the US to counterbalance China’s growing military clout.
These examples should leave no doubt that India now regards China as its biggest threat.
Even though Taiwan and India do not maintain any formal diplomatic relations, both countries are connected in terms of economy, education and culture.
China has not only increased pressure in the Taiwan Strait, but also threatened the national security of India.
With a common enemy in sight, Taiwan and India should use the opportunity to strengthen mutual cooperation, enhance exchanges on security issues, and work together to improve regional security and stability.
Yao Chung-yuan is an adjunct university professor and former deputy director of the Ministry of National Defense’s Strategic Planning Department.
Translated by Rita Wang
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