Beijing is content to avoid resolution, distract with historical revisionism, and provoke through offensive rhetoric. This is hardly the posture of a country seeking peace.
Pakistan is a master of running with hares and hunting with hounds, as it did with the US from 2001 to 2021. It will carefully calibrate its proxy war to keep the pot simmering.
China’s actions fit into a broader pattern of asserting upstream control while denying others the same right. It’s less about water and more about projecting dominance.
Chinese analysis presents India’s retaliation as measured, favouring diplomatic and economic tools over military escalation. Some see it as a sign of underlying vulnerabilities.
The aspirations of the Russian elite and the failure of the state machinery to meet their lofty goals define Moscow’s actions today, says Stanford professor Stephen Kotkin.
Treating India as an equal partner, prioritising bilateral relations independent of the US-China dynamic, and addressing differences are vital measures for fostering normalised relations.
Standing up to America is usually not a personal risk for a leader in India. Any suggestions of foreign pressure unites India behind who they see as leading them in that fight.
“India’s Rafale cannot compete with China’s J-10C.” The Chinese are holding onto this narrative, because of their own insecurity. They self-proclaimed many times in the past that China is way past the USA in fighter jet manufacturing, they building a sixth fighter jet. Now when their fighter jet failed to perform it’s giving them a lot of pain. So parroting the above statement, they’re sympathizing themselves.
“India’s Rafale cannot compete with China’s J-10C.” The Chinese are holding onto this narrative, because of their own insecurity. They self-proclaimed many times in the past that China is way past the USA in fighter jet manufacturing, they building a sixth fighter jet. Now when their fighter jet failed to perform it’s giving them a lot of pain. So parroting the above statement, they’re sympathizing themselves.