India and China need to tackle structural problems

New Delhi should continue with diplomacy but also prepare for the worst

The informal summit between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at Wuhan in April 2018 was supposed to “reset” the bilateral ties after the 73-day Doklam standoff in 2017. To some extent, Mr Modi and Mr Xi have been able to cool tempers. However, a leader-level initiative was never going to offset structural factors like territorial disputes that make the two Asian giants each other’s adversary.

Since the Doklam standoff ended, China has taken various measures to prevent a repeat. It has beefed up its presence to the north of the standoff site. China is developing the world’s first electromagnetic rocket. The idea is to use cheap systems such as rockets to overwhelm the target with improved accuracy afforded by electromagnetic catapult.

India too has responded vigorously. It has adopted a more offensive posture on the China border. It is planning to deploy Akash missile systems along with attack helicopters and long range fighter aircraft in the eastern sector. Mr Modi inaugurated a railroad bridge at Bogibeel in Assam, which will expedite troop movements to Arunachal Pradesh. The construction of other strategically important roads is being speeded up. A plan to construct hardened shelters for its aircraft has also been green-lighted. This will help in case the electromagnetic rockets try to take out Su-30MKIs. India should continue to strengthen its capabilities but be sure to leave the onus of escalation on China. This strategy proved to be successful in Doklam and looks good for the medium term. India should hope for the best but prepare for the worst.