India and China - Perceptions of Strategic Culture and Its Role in The NSG Membership Issue - ICS Delhi Blog

07/01/2018 India and China: Perceptions of Strategic Culture and its role in the NSG membership issue – ICS
mbership issue – ICS Delhi blog
ICS DELHI BLOG MENU
India and China: Perceptions of Strategic

Culture and its role in the NSG
membership issue
JUNE 22, 2016
ICS
Kajari Kamal, PhD student, University of Hyderabad.
The debate on whether to include India as a member in the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group
(NSG) or not, has brought the India-China-Pakistan dynamics in the limelight again.
China’s resistance to India’s membership is seen by the Indians as clearly strategic,
targeted at constraining the rise of India as a global power. While some observers of
India-China relations believe that factors such as border disputes, power asymmetry,
mutual distrust, and most recently, nuclear proliferation issues, are obstacles in the
normalization of bilateral relations, some others strongly believe that there lies a
fundamental clash of interests, rooted at a strategic culture level, which manifests in
https://icsdelhiblogs.wordpress.com/2016/06/22/india-and-china-perceptions-of-strategic-culture-and-its-role-in-the-nsg-membership-issue/ 1/9
07/01/2018 India and China: Perceptions of Strategic Culture and its role in the NSG membership issue – ICS Delhi blog
China’s determination to play a key role in world affairs, as it has done as a great power
and a great civilization, in the past. In a dyadic relationship, the importance of the
perception of each other’s strategic culture cannot be overemphasized. Andrew Scobell
argues that China’s foreign policy and its tendency to use military force are in uenced
not only by elite understanding of China’s own strategic tradition but also by their
understanding of the strategic cultures of other states.
While the study of the strategic culture of a nation is important per se, it must be
supplemented by including the perceptions by other countries, which rank high on its
diplomatic map. Strategic culture is useful in assessing the foundational elements that
condition the practices and policies of a nation. But, it becomes a de nite and potent tool
when it is projected in a de nite manner and perceived as such by the target audience, in
interstate relations. India’s nuclear weapons programme, for instance, spelled out an
inherent military objective, but Nehru while keeping the doors of nuclear weapons
development open, advocated universal nuclear disarmament. In the light of perceived
strategic challenges from both China and Pakistan, India chose a nuclear deterrent.
However, it has been scrupulous in ensuring that its weapons material and technology
are guarded against commercial or illicit export to other countries. The NPT itself
requires only that internationally-traded nuclear material and technology be safeguarded
– a condition that India has continually made clear it is willing to accept, even though it
declines to disarm and join the NPT as a “non-weapon-state”. In this context, it is not
surprising that the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the formation of which was triggered
by India’s 1974 explosions, is seriously considering bringing India in its fold.
Juxtaposed to this, is the case of China. There exists a wide gap between its stated policy
and its actions in reality. Hu Jintao, in his Report to the Seventeenth National Congress of
the Communist Party of China, Beijing, October, 2007 said – “China should energetically
engage in regional cooperation in order to jointly create a peaceful, stable regional
environment featuring equality, mutual trust and win-win cooperation.” The language is
reassuring and in line with China’s avowed good neighbour policy. However, when it is
seen in the backdrop of Beijing’s historical, territorial claims, and its readiness to use
force, it appears to be less than convincing.
It is often argued that the foreign policy of any country, apart from other variables, is a
function of what others think of and believe to be its policy objectives – and therefore,
how it might in uence their own perceived national interests and their positions in the
regional and global power structures. Robert Zervis, in his book, Perceptions and
Misperceptions in International Relations, famously wrote that any view of international
politics, that fails to take into account the role of perception, is inadequate. It is widely
held that perception of a country vis-à-vis the other is generally dictated by the
interaction of three factors: the perceived relative capability of the actor, the perceived
political culture of foreign policy behavior of that actor and the context of the situation in
which the perception is made.
Let us view India’s bid for the NSG membership and China’s resistance to it in this
context. While most analysts believe that China has a huge military advantage over India,
the latter has stepped up its production of ssile material and has plans to construct
ballistic missile submarines. It has taken steps to indicate its willingness to become a rst
rate nuclear power. The gap in relative capabilities may seem to be decreasing. As far as
the perceived political culture of foreign policy behavior is concerned, undeniably,
China’s rising nationalism, its willingness to play a prominent role in regional stability and
realpolitik strategic-culture-backed military buildup, does make the China threat loom
large in the Indian security environment. On the recent ‘One Belt One Road’ (OBOR)
initiative by China, connectivity, once seen as helping countries transcend geopolitics,
was instead identi ed by the Indian foreign secretary, S. Jaishankar, as having “emerged
as a theater of present day geopolitics.” In contrast, despite India’s size and proximity, it is
considered by many Chinese scholars as a ‘blind spot’ in China foreign policy. “Among
China’s neighbors— Russia, the Koreas, Japan, even as far as Iran—Chinese interest and
accumulated knowledge towards these countries is much stronger than it is towards
India,” says Yu Longyu, director of the Center for Indian Studies at Shenzhen
University. However, India does gure in serious discussions when associated with other,
apparentlycrucial countries – The Unites States and Pakistan.
The third signi cant factor which has a bearing on a country’s perception of the other, is
relevant in the context of India joining the NSG. The change in perception of a country’s
foreign policy with the change in security environment is best exempli ed in the case of
India’s “Look East Policy” (LEP). In the initial years of its inception, Beijing viewed India’s
attempt to integrate itself with the economies of East Asia in line with the economic
reforms and entry into the global market. As India was still an insigni cant economy, and
military power, China’s response to LEP was rather indifferent or muted, as it doubted
India’s capability to exert any major in uence on this region. However, India’s
involvement and growing role in Asia in recent years, especially in Southeast and East
Asia, impinges directly on China as it is viewed in recent times as an attempt by India “to
encircle China”. Similarly, India’s increasing ties with the ASEAN has made it a target of
criticism from China on multiple occasions.
In the case of NSG, India’s diplomatic investment is evidently huge. It is going all out to
garner support from member states. Coupled with this, the American military and
diplomatic “pivot” or “rebalance” towards Asia; its announcement of dehyphenating India
and Pakistan, underscored by the US-India Nuclear deal, has left China worrying about
the emerging US-India axis in its region of interest. In this backdrop, India’s admission
into the NSG will not only strengthen the emerging bond between the United States and
India, and therefore make them a more signi cant force to reckon with in Asia, but would
also bring India into a well established nuclear market which can help feed its burgeoning
nuclear power generation programme. Ideally, though arguably, it will enhance India’s
power attributes and put it on among the elite nuclear group of countries in the
international political order. In the heightened state of strategic ux and current power
transitions, the issue of India’s entry into the NSG, has attracted a strong reaction from
China because of the perceived threat.
India and China are the largest countries in Asia. Their choices and actions will condition
the policies of their neighbours and of non regional powers that have a stake in the
subcontinent. More importantly, their actions will have a bearing on each other’s foreign
policy behaviour as well. It is in the interest of both to maintain a peaceful and a stable
political environment, based on mutual trust and cooperation. The strategic choices that
these countries make, will in turn shape the perceptions of their political cultures, which
may well decide the future of Asia’s geopolitics. Asia – if not the world, will await the
Strategic Culture outcome of the confabulations in Seoul.
Advertisements
Report this ad Report this ad
Share this:
 Facebook 19  Twitter  Email  Google  Print  WhatsApp  Reddit  Tumblr
 LinkedIn  Pinterest  Telegram
 Like
Be the first to like this.
Posted in International Relations, Uncategorized

Tagged Look East Policy, one belt, one road (OBOR), strategic culture
PREVIOUS POST
Family physicians to play a bigger role in medical care in China
NEXT POST
High Speed Railway lines: China and India
Leave a Reply
Enter your comment here...
ARCHIVES
Select Month
CATEGORIES
Bilateral Relations Economics Education

Foreign Policy General International
Relations Military Politics public health Social Issues Society

Strategy Taiwan Uncategorized
TAGS
19th Party Congress Arunachal Pradesh BCIM Forum Bhutan Boundary dispute
Brahmaputra BRICS Central Military Commission China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
(CPEC) Chinese diplomacy Chinese Economy Chinese foreign policy

Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Communist Party of
China (CPC) Confucianism corruption Cross-strait relations Dalai Lama democracy
Democratic Progressive Party Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Deng Xiaoping diplomacy Doklam
economic cooperation economic integration economic reforms economic
sanctions factions foreign aid foreign investments Foreign Policy health higher education
India-China relations Indian foreign policy industrialization
infrastructure development innovation international law Japan Kuomintang (KMT) labour
force Made in China 2025 Make in India manufacturing Nepal North Korea
nuclear test one belt one belt, one road (OBOR) one road (OBOR)
Pakistan pharmaceutical sector public diplomacy public health river sharing security dilemma services sector
Sino-US relations soft power South Asia South China Sea South Korea state-owned
enterprises (SOEs) strategic culture Taiwan Tawang technology terrorism Tibet transparency
Tsai Ing-wen United States Xi Jinping
ICS ON TWITTER
Tweets by @ics_delhi
ICS, New Delhi Retweeted
Evan Osnos
@eosnos
Intrepid @nytimes correspondent @comradewong traveled to nearly every corner of China.
After 9+ years on the ground, he concludes, "History teaches us about an inevitable dialectic:
Power creates resistance." Take note. A Chinese Empire Reborn nyti.ms/2E9pK5B
Opinion | A Chinese Empire Reborn

The Communist Party’s emerging empire is more the result of force than a gravitational…
nytimes.com
Jan 6, 2018
ECFR
@ecfr
This publication explores how much Xi Jingpin's increased ideological control is changing
China @ECFRAsiaChina buff.ly/2qtbGll
China’s “New Era” with Xi Jinping characteristics

The meaning of Chinese "new era" is tied to Xi Jinping
ecfr.eu
Jan 6, 2018
Andrew Erickson 艾立信

@AndrewSErickson
Xi Jinping tells army not to fear death in show of China's military
mighttheguardian.com/world/2018/jan…
President tells armed forces to be ‘capable of combat and sure to win’ in move designed to
bolster his political standing
Xi Jinping tells army not to fear death in show of China's military might
President tells armed forces to be ‘capable of combat and sure to win’ in move designe…
theguardian.com
18h
Elsa Kania
@EBKania
Perhaps the next frontier of US-China S&T competition will be for top talent. The US has a
clear advantage for now, but I worry we’re losing it.
Jan 5, 2018
Sixth Tone
@SixthTone
We talk to the grandson of the man behind the #HuLine about his life and the boundary's
ongoing legacy ow.ly/fPWi30hCgE1
POSTS
June 2016
M T W T F S S
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30
« May Jul »
CREATE A FREE WEBSITE OR BLOG AT WORDPRESS.COM.

India and China - Perceptions of Strategic Culture and Its Role in The NSG Membership Issue - ICS Delhi Blog

Загружено:

Сведения о документе

Оригинальное название

Авторское право

Доступные форматы

Поделиться этим документом

Поделиться или встроить документ

Параметры публикации

Этот документ был вам полезен?

Это неприемлемый материал?

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

India and China - Perceptions of Strategic Culture and Its Role in The NSG Membership Issue - ICS Delhi Blog

Загружено:

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

07/01/2018 India and China: Perceptions of Strategic Culture and its role in the NSG membership issue – ICS

mbership issue – ICS Delhi blog

ICS DELHI BLOG MENU

India and China: Perceptions of Strategic

Kajari Kamal, PhD student, University of Hyderabad.

Report this ad Report this ad

 Facebook 19  Twitter  Email  Google  Print  WhatsApp  Reddit  Tumblr

 LinkedIn  Pinterest  Telegram

Posted in International Relations, Uncategorized

Family physicians to play a bigger role in medical care in China

High Speed Railway lines: China and India

Enter your comment here...

Bilateral Relations Economics Education

Relations Military Politics public health Social Issues Society

(CPEC) Chinese diplomacy Chinese Economy Chinese foreign policy

Tsai Ing-wen United States Xi Jinping

Opinion | A Chinese Empire Reborn

ICS, New Delhi Retweeted

China’s “New Era” with Xi Jinping characteristics

ICS, New Delhi Retweeted

Andrew Erickson 艾立信

ICS, New Delhi Retweeted

ICS, New Delhi Retweeted

CREATE A FREE WEBSITE OR BLOG AT WORDPRESS.COM.

Вам также может понравиться