DPG Policy Brief
The Trust Deficit with China
Authors Ambassador Phunchok Stobdan
Date: March 28, 2025
As tensions along the India-China border in eastern Ladakh have subsided, high-level interactions between these two major Asian nations have recommenced, aiming to enhance the diplomatic framework for improved border management and explore ways to revive cross-border cooperation.
In this Policy Brief, the author outlines the trajectory of recent official engagements between India and China, even as significant differences remain regarding the overall policy approaches of the two countries towards each other. Notably, in a recent podcast, PM Narendra Modi has expressed the hope that “Gradually, trust, enthusiasm, and energy will be rekindled” in the bilateral relationship. Going forward, the challenge will be to preserve stable and harmonious ties while striving for a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable framework to address the longstanding boundary issue.
From a geopolitical standpoint, India’s primary concern regarding China revolves around a deficit of trust. The author argues that the challenge for Indian strategists is to view China through a lens of pragmatic realism, rather than that of normative political theory. He goes on to elaborate reasons behind the prevailing misperceptions of China, before delving into the practices and principles that guide Chinese statecraft that require greater understanding.
The author concludes that the informal Wuhan Summit in 2018 perhaps represents the closest the two sides have come on developing mutual understanding, but that moment has since passed and the quest for trust remains a formidable challenge to this day. While enhancing India’s military readiness and prioritising diplomatic efforts with China remains essential, the relationship between India and China should ultimately also be guided by a spirit of civilisational consciousness and the pursuit of pragmatic objectives.
To read this DPG Policy Brief Vol. X, Issue 12, please click "The Trust Deficit with China”.
In this Policy Brief, the author outlines the trajectory of recent official engagements between India and China, even as significant differences remain regarding the overall policy approaches of the two countries towards each other. Notably, in a recent podcast, PM Narendra Modi has expressed the hope that “Gradually, trust, enthusiasm, and energy will be rekindled” in the bilateral relationship. Going forward, the challenge will be to preserve stable and harmonious ties while striving for a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable framework to address the longstanding boundary issue.
From a geopolitical standpoint, India’s primary concern regarding China revolves around a deficit of trust. The author argues that the challenge for Indian strategists is to view China through a lens of pragmatic realism, rather than that of normative political theory. He goes on to elaborate reasons behind the prevailing misperceptions of China, before delving into the practices and principles that guide Chinese statecraft that require greater understanding.
The author concludes that the informal Wuhan Summit in 2018 perhaps represents the closest the two sides have come on developing mutual understanding, but that moment has since passed and the quest for trust remains a formidable challenge to this day. While enhancing India’s military readiness and prioritising diplomatic efforts with China remains essential, the relationship between India and China should ultimately also be guided by a spirit of civilisational consciousness and the pursuit of pragmatic objectives.
To read this DPG Policy Brief Vol. X, Issue 12, please click "The Trust Deficit with China”.
