16.12.2024 17:37
India and China rivalry is intensifying
Sanjar Said:
India and China rivalry is intensifying
New Delhi sees Beijing as its biggest rival, prompting the Indian government to halt direct flights to China, restrict visas, expel journalists, and control Chinese investment in India. In 2020, New Delhi, under Modi, moved the conflict into cyberspace by promptly banning 59 Chinese apps, including Weibo.
Despite recent attempts at reconciliation, India and China are becoming bigger rivals than ever. The two countries have been embroiled in diplomatic disputes in recent years: Chinese leader Xi Jinping declined Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's invitation to attend the high-profile G-20 summit in 2023.
Following this, Modi did not attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kazakhstan that year.
However, the two countries reached a border agreement in October after intense negotiations over the disputed Ladakh region. India's Ministry of External Affairs cited the agreement in December, noting that relations with Beijing had improved.
But such friendly efforts are unlikely to stop the growing conflict in cyberspace between Asian countries with a population of more than two billion.
Virtual wars
This confrontation has been intensifying since the start of the Covid pandemic. In 2020, Modi-led New Delhi moved the conflict into cyberspace by immediately banning 59 Chinese apps, including Weibo.
The move was seen as the start of a virtual war that continues amid the ongoing border dispute between India and China in Ladakh.
The growing nationalist sentiment and debate in India's mainstream media and social media have further fueled this digital battlefield, with Chinese apps accused of distributing "illegal content" and posing a potential threat to national security.
In response, Chinese commentators, displaying their patriotic sentiments, published articles in government-affiliated publications denouncing India's ultranationalist narrative. They also warned of consequences, including an escalation of the Kashmir issue at the UN and the possibility of military action in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.
The war of words prompted New Delhi to impose additional bans on popular Chinese apps like TikTok under the guise of a "Make in India" campaign, leading to the first time that Indian apps have taken the lead in Indian cyberspace.
The rivalry is shaping the national development goals of these two ancient civilizations, which once benefited from trade and cultural exchange.
New Delhi sees Beijing as its biggest competitor, prompting the Indian government to halt direct flights to China, restrict visas, expel journalists, and control Chinese investments in India.
India has also imposed restrictions on civil society relations, media engagement, student exchange programs, intercultural events, and arts and crafts gatherings, making it difficult for ordinary Indian and Chinese citizens to interact with each other.
Before this forced competition, both countries had experienced unprecedented growth in the early 1990s. They created their own markets in the world: China with semiconductors, India with software.
But thanks to professional skills, Beijing has doubled its per capita income compared to its Asian rival, which has increased the conflict, despite the two countries signing a peace treaty in 1993 and a border security cooperation agreement in 2013.
Other problems
The virtual battle may seem like a flashpoint for deeper issues, including territorial disputes, that India and China have been unable to agree on for decades.
First, Beijing has a military presence on the border in Ladakh, as well as in the Indian Ocean, where New Delhi accuses China of operating spy ships.
Beijing has openly expressed its displeasure with India's support for Taiwan, which it calls a "renegade province." The manufacturing giant also accused New Delhi in 2019 of interfering in the Tibet issue and sheltering the Dalai Lama, a Buddhist leader viewed by the Chinese as a separatist.
The two countries' opposing alliances also define their differences. As part of the two rival fronts, India supports the Indo-Pacific Quartet, while China throws its weight behind the Belt and Road Initiative.
As a member of BRICS, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, China was indirectly described by Modi as "anti-Western" during a closed-door meeting in October.
The Indian prime minister's main concern is that New Delhi's influence in the forum is declining, as Beijing and Moscow pursue their global expansion goals.
Conflicts in Kashmir
But Modi's "new India," which aspires to be a "Vishva Guru" - a global leader - refuses to accept a second-class position in Asia. The country openly opposes the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and denounces Beijing's aggressive actions in Arunachal Pradesh.
China, for its part, opposes New Delhi's decision to unilaterally change the status of the disputed territory of Kashmir.
In August 2019, New Delhi revoked the special status of disputed Kashmir and made Ladakh a separate union territory. China objected to the move, saying it violated UN resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir.
This resentment later manifested itself on the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, where the Chinese People's Liberation Army fought the Indian Army in the bloodiest clash since the 1962 Sino-Indian War.
Five years later, as the border standoff creates a new front in Asia, India's foreign minister is calling for firm action to demarcate the border.
But many in India see it as a tactical retreat at a time when the war in Ukraine has brought China closer to India's long-standing defense ally Russia. Beijing's move comes amid growing cooperation between the United States and India in maritime logistics and innovative technologies. While peace talks and diplomatic efforts continue, the cyberspace rivalry between India and China is becoming a major battleground. The digital war, fueled by national security and economic competition, is expected to intensify as both countries seek to control cyberspace and global influence.
While the strategic shift in India's approach to China has not been dramatic so far, it does indicate a growing rivalry between the two countries, and there is no sign of this rivalry abating in the near future.
Mir Sinin, journalist, columnist
India and China rivalry is intensifying
New Delhi sees Beijing as its biggest rival, prompting the Indian government to halt direct flights to China, restrict visas, expel journalists, and control Chinese investment in India. In 2020, New Delhi, under Modi, moved the conflict into cyberspace by promptly banning 59 Chinese apps, including Weibo.
Despite recent attempts at reconciliation, India and China are becoming bigger rivals than ever. The two countries have been embroiled in diplomatic disputes in recent years: Chinese leader Xi Jinping declined Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's invitation to attend the high-profile G-20 summit in 2023.
Following this, Modi did not attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kazakhstan that year.
However, the two countries reached a border agreement in October after intense negotiations over the disputed Ladakh region. India's Ministry of External Affairs cited the agreement in December, noting that relations with Beijing had improved.
But such friendly efforts are unlikely to stop the growing conflict in cyberspace between Asian countries with a population of more than two billion.
Virtual wars
This confrontation has been intensifying since the start of the Covid pandemic. In 2020, Modi-led New Delhi moved the conflict into cyberspace by immediately banning 59 Chinese apps, including Weibo.
The move was seen as the start of a virtual war that continues amid the ongoing border dispute between India and China in Ladakh.
The growing nationalist sentiment and debate in India's mainstream media and social media have further fueled this digital battlefield, with Chinese apps accused of distributing "illegal content" and posing a potential threat to national security.
In response, Chinese commentators, displaying their patriotic sentiments, published articles in government-affiliated publications denouncing India's ultranationalist narrative. They also warned of consequences, including an escalation of the Kashmir issue at the UN and the possibility of military action in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.
The war of words prompted New Delhi to impose additional bans on popular Chinese apps like TikTok under the guise of a "Make in India" campaign, leading to the first time that Indian apps have taken the lead in Indian cyberspace.
The rivalry is shaping the national development goals of these two ancient civilizations, which once benefited from trade and cultural exchange.
New Delhi sees Beijing as its biggest competitor, prompting the Indian government to halt direct flights to China, restrict visas, expel journalists, and control Chinese investments in India.
India has also imposed restrictions on civil society relations, media engagement, student exchange programs, intercultural events, and arts and crafts gatherings, making it difficult for ordinary Indian and Chinese citizens to interact with each other.
Before this forced competition, both countries had experienced unprecedented growth in the early 1990s. They created their own markets in the world: China with semiconductors, India with software.
But thanks to professional skills, Beijing has doubled its per capita income compared to its Asian rival, which has increased the conflict, despite the two countries signing a peace treaty in 1993 and a border security cooperation agreement in 2013.
Other problems
The virtual battle may seem like a flashpoint for deeper issues, including territorial disputes, that India and China have been unable to agree on for decades.
First, Beijing has a military presence on the border in Ladakh, as well as in the Indian Ocean, where New Delhi accuses China of operating spy ships.
Beijing has openly expressed its displeasure with India's support for Taiwan, which it calls a "renegade province." The manufacturing giant also accused New Delhi in 2019 of interfering in the Tibet issue and sheltering the Dalai Lama, a Buddhist leader viewed by the Chinese as a separatist.
The two countries' opposing alliances also define their differences. As part of the two rival fronts, India supports the Indo-Pacific Quartet, while China throws its weight behind the Belt and Road Initiative.
As a member of BRICS, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, China was indirectly described by Modi as "anti-Western" during a closed-door meeting in October.
The Indian prime minister's main concern is that New Delhi's influence in the forum is declining, as Beijing and Moscow pursue their global expansion goals.
Conflicts in Kashmir
But Modi's "new India," which aspires to be a "Vishva Guru" - a global leader - refuses to accept a second-class position in Asia. The country openly opposes the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and denounces Beijing's aggressive actions in Arunachal Pradesh.
China, for its part, opposes New Delhi's decision to unilaterally change the status of the disputed territory of Kashmir.
In August 2019, New Delhi revoked the special status of disputed Kashmir and made Ladakh a separate union territory. China objected to the move, saying it violated UN resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir.
This resentment later manifested itself on the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, where the Chinese People's Liberation Army fought the Indian Army in the bloodiest clash since the 1962 Sino-Indian War.
Five years later, as the border standoff creates a new front in Asia, India's foreign minister is calling for firm action to demarcate the border.
But many in India see it as a tactical retreat at a time when the war in Ukraine has brought China closer to India's long-standing defense ally Russia. Beijing's move comes amid growing cooperation between the United States and India in maritime logistics and innovative technologies. While peace talks and diplomatic efforts continue, the cyberspace rivalry between India and China is becoming a major battleground. The digital war, fueled by national security and economic competition, is expected to intensify as both countries seek to control cyberspace and global influence.
While the strategic shift in India's approach to China has not been dramatic so far, it does indicate a growing rivalry between the two countries, and there is no sign of this rivalry abating in the near future.
Mir Sinin, journalist, columnist