But if Delhi is compelled to conclude that China is determined to block India’s rise, we might well be at the cusp of a new and troubling phase in India’s relations China. The last time India restructured its China policy was in 1988, when Rajiv Gandhi travelled on a historic mission to end India’s Cold War with China that followed a hot border conflict in 1962. The Indian economy today is eight times larger than that of Pakistan; Delhi outspends Rawalpindi by six times on defence. Any such decision would mark a major discontinuity in India’s approach towards China. This power differential, according to the realists, means Beijing has no reason to be sensitive to India’s vital interests.

Source: Indian Express August 11, 2016 18:22 UTC