Despite a China-India thaw, military relations are stuck in 2020
Chinese President Xi Jinping has met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi three times in the past three years. Indian pilgrims are back at Kailash, the Tibetan mountain sacred to Hindus and Buddhists. Air China has restarted flights to New Delhi. But can trust grow between two armies that meet only in a crisis? And why does the Pentagon now talk to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) more easily…
Despite a recent thaw in diplomatic relations between China and India, military cooperation remains limited. Chinese President Xi Jinping has met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi three times in the past three years, and trade between the two nations has reached over US$100 billion annually. However, the two armies that face each other along the disputed Himalayan border are still frozen in 2020, as they last trained together in December 2019.
The last deadly border clash occurred in May 2020, resulting in the deaths of 20 Indians and four Chinese soldiers. Since then, India has shown cautious restraint in building trust with China, while the Pentagon has been more open to engaging with China's People's Liberation Army (PLA). Despite the progress made in other areas, such as the reopening of border trade points and direct flights between the two capitals, the military relationship remains stalled.
Experts suggest that India should revive a popular counterterrorism exercise between the two armies, open staff colleges for knowledge exchange, and develop a political framework for regular defense minister dialogues. If both countries can open up communication channels and build trust, they may be able to avoid conflicts and focus on collaboration.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
