Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The Galwan Valley clash between Indian and Chinese troops in June 2020 is a tipping point in India–China ties, similar in magnitude to the 1962 India–China war. Although academic literature on India–China relations is gaining ground post the Galwan Valley clash, there is dearth of literature on India's balancing strategies vis-à-vis China after Galwan. This article makes a contribution to the existing literature by examining whether India is still pursuing evasive balancing vis-à-vis China after the Galwan Valley clash. It does so by borrowing Rajesh Rajagopalan's definition of evasive balancing. Prior to the Galwan Valley clash, India was pursuing evasive balancing because it was balancing internally and externally against China, but it was also reassuring China that it was not balancing against it by following five reassurance policies. This article highlights that post-Galwan, India has enhanced its internal and external balancing vis-à-vis China. With respect to reassurance towards China, the article illustrates that out of the five strands of the reassurance strategy pursued by India prior to Galwan, New Delhi is pursuing only two aspects of the reassurance strategy. Thus, India is no longer undertaking evasive balancing against China to the extent it pursued prior to Galwan.
Source: Contemporary South Asia
Author: Raj Verma
Institution: George Washington University
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7155497778