The past week has been a busy one for India in the Indo-Pacific region. India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar attended the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Laos and the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Japan. Jaishankar’s visit to Laos also included a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, their last meeting in Astana earlier this year. The context of Jaishankar’s visit was set by India’s continued resistance against China in its key areas of interest. Arguably, China remains a major concern for India’s national security planners. India’s China challenge is multi-faceted, with the unresolved border conflict on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as well as Beijing’s growing footprints in the Indian Ocean. China’s recent moves in the Indo-Pacific, particularly the South China Sea region, have also forced India’s Quad partners and several Southeast Asian countries to intensify measures to balance Beijing. Thus, the question of China was a natural focus for Jaishankar during both his visits to Laos and Japan.
China, an important part of the Quad
At the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting, the four member countries of the group issued a joint statement that adequately addressed their shared concerns regarding China’s aggressive posture in the Indo-Pacific. Quad members have long resisted the notion that the group is formed to counter Beijing, instead stressing that it seeks to harness emerging opportunities for collective cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. However, it cannot be denied that the China factor is an important cog in the wheel of the Quad. The latest joint statement issued by the Quad countries clearly shows that concerns about China’s overtures in the Indo-Pacific have come centre-stage in the group’s thinking. The joint statement expressed concern over the evolving situation in the East and South China Sea, pointing to China’s unilateral actions using force and coercion. The statement condemned Beijing’s use of coast guard and maritime militia in the South China Sea, without naming them, blaming them for “dangerous maneuvers” in the region.
Jaishankar’s personal comments about the state of India-China relations have attracted further attention. When asked about India’s relations with China, Jaishankar categorically stated that bilateral relations between the two neighbours are ‘not going very well’. This admission appears to present a continuity in India’s enduring deterrence against China in light of the border skirmishes and conflicts since 2020. However, in the Indo-Pacific context, India’s approach towards China seems to be changing. In the past, India’s response to China’s aggressive stance in the Indo-Pacific has been relatively subdued. Instead, Jaishankar’s recent comments at the Quad summit and joint statement demonstrate India’s willingness to retaliate against China even in the Indo-Pacific context.
gaze at the distant sea
The question arises as to what is the reason for India’s resistance against China’s unilateral actions in the South China Sea? Even though the geography of the South China Sea does not fall within India’s primary maritime interest zone, it remains crucial for India’s myriad strategic interests, such as security of sea lines of communication (SLOCs), energy security, etc. Moreover, India’s continued advocacy for a free, open, inclusive and rules-based order in the seas, emphasizing the need for adherence to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), makes it imperative for New Delhi to respond critically against Chinese attempts to change the status quo in the region.
In the broader Indo-Pacific, China’s continued attempts to make inroads into the Indian Ocean Region, most recently through sending survey and surveillance vessels to the region, have given rise to an enduring security dilemma in New Delhi, with the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) set to launch carrier task force patrols in the Indian Ocean by 2025. Thus, strengthening its position against China in the Indo-Pacific appears to be a logical progression in India’s continued efforts to counter Beijing’s advances in the geography of India’s core interests in the sea.
Message from India
Notably, Jaishankar has demonstrated nuance and complex thinking in India’s plans to counter the multi-dimensional challenge posed by China. On the Indo-Pacific front, India has sought to actively engage in minilateral groupings to counter China Asked if New Delhi would encourage third-party intervention to resolve the India-China territorial border conflict along the LAC, Jaishankar reiterated that only bilateral engagement based on ‘mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivities’ can restore normalcy.
The message is very clear: New Delhi will leave no stone unturned in continuing its response against Beijing, even as the door is open for China to reassert its anti-India posture.
(Harsh V Pant is vice president of studies at ORF. Sayantan Haldar works with maritime initiatives at ORF)
Disclaimer: These are the personal views of the author
