Chinese Views of a Nuclear India: From the 1974 Peaceful Nuclear Explosion to the Nuclear Suppliers Group Waiver in 2008

Abstract

What does China think of a nuclear India? It is quite difficult to tell. As the secretary general of China’s Arms Control and Disarmament Association admits, while an abundance of Indian experts study China, in China itself, there are relatively few academics studying a nuclear India, especially in historical context (Li H., 2012, p.132). So far, the norm for China is to de-link the nuclear element from Sino-Indian relations. China’s strategic views of India instead focus on the long-standing border issue between both countries, the contentious status of Tibet and, more recently, conventional naval developments in the Indian Ocean. Essentially, for China, India is not a strategic priority in the same way that China is for India. China’s attention is focused elsewhere—on the United States, its most significant peer competitor. Whether this approach will continue is unclear. As Pardesi argues, in the late 2000s, China is increasingly aware of India as an emerging power in the region, and Chinese analysis of India is likely to expand (Pardesi, 2010).

I would like to thank Rosemary Foot, Kate Sullivan and Alex Leveringhaus for their comments on the chapter.