Titolo completo

The Indo-Pacific and Compensating Deterrence: India’s Approach to Increasing Hostility with the PRC on the Northern Border

India’s strategic posture in the Indo-Pacific reflects a deliberate effort to offset its vulnerabilities along the enduring border conflict with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on its northern frontier. Unlike other major Indo-Pacific powers such as Japan, Australia and the United States (US), India faces an enduring territorial dispute with the PRC, rooted in the colonial treaty between British and Tibet that Beijing continues to reject. This dispute has produced one of the world’s longest undemarcated borders and has fuelled asymmetric confrontations since the 1962 Indo-Sino war, including the recent crises at Doklam (2017) and the Galwan Valley (2020). Despite the PRC’s superior infrastructure and operational capabilities in high-altitude terrain, India has sought to offset for its disadvantage in the continental theatre by adopting a ‘compensational deterrence’ strategy through naval modernisation, expanded strategic partnerships and a stronger presence in the Indo-Pacific.
Keywords: India, China, deterrence, compensation deterrence, Indo-Pacific