Summary
The rise of China and India are undoubtedly a major feature of contemporary global politics. The relationship between the two rising Asian powers will not only exert a profound and far-reaching influence over Asian security, but is also seen as a decisive factor of reshaping international order. To provide a new perspective for understanding India–China relations, this book draws on evidence from interactions between China and India over the past few years to make an empirical case for the existence and impact of asymmetrical perceptions of threat between the two countries. The major issues of China–India relations, including the nuclear issue, the boundary problem, the Tibet issue, regional competition and cooperation, and their relations in the global context, are examined. The book observes that the Sino–Indian relations have been constrained by the asymmetry between their threat perceptions: India tends to be deeply apprehensive of threats from China, while China appears comparatively unconcerned about threats from India. This asymmetry, the book concludes, has made it difficult for China and India to forge shared knowledge and to set a common agenda around which their expectations could converge. India will be on a perennial quest for changes in Sino-Indian relations, such as a final resolution of the border issue and securing more credible nuclear deterrent against China. On the contrary, China will be in favour of the status quo, and feel no urgent need to sort out the disputes. As a result, the asymmetry in threat perceptions has been a destabilizing factor in India– China relations.