In the summer of 2020, Chinese and Indian troops fought for the first time since 1975, with casualties on both sides. China-India conflict goes back to 1962 when they fought a full-scale war. The incident at Galwan, Ladakh, in 2020 capped a series of confrontations since 2013. The fracas at Galwan raised serious questions about the present and future of the relationship between Asia’s two giants. What is driving the conflict, and is there a happier future in front of them? Four P’s are driving the conflict: increasingly negative mutual Perceptions; differences over their Perimeters (borderlands); strategic Partnerships on opposite sides of the geopolitical divide; and a large and growing Power disparity. Can they be friends rather than rivals given the four P’s? They have a record of managing confrontations, and they share concerns about the current international order. Beijing and Delhi can build on these commonalities.
About the Speaker
Kanti Bajpai is Wilmar Professor of Asian Studies and Vice Dean Research, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. He has taught at universities in India, the US, and the UK, and has held visiting fellowships at think tanks in Australia, India, and the US. His research focuses on India’s foreign policy, international security, and Asian international and strategic thought. His most recent book are India Versus China: Why They Are Not Friends (Juggernaut Books, 2021) and How Realist is India’s National Security Policy? (Routledge, 2023).
This lecture is free. Slots are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Image: Cover of India Versus China: Why They Are Not Friends (detail), (Juggernaut Publishers, 2021)
Organised by the Friends of the Museums (FOM) with support from ACM
