China’s state-run media has remained noticeably quiet about the recent border disengagement deal with India, and this silence speaks volumes. Beijing appears reluctant to acknowledge when diplomatic pressure forces it to yield. The concern is clear: if Chinese media highlights the India-China disengagement, it could suggest that Beijing has softened its military and diplomatic stance in response to New Delhi’s position that “the state of the border will determine the state of the relationship.” China seems uneasy with the growing effectiveness of this policy.
The Global Times, China’s English-language newspaper, provided reserved coverage of recent events, avoiding any hint that Beijing had backed down. Across about five articles on military disengagement at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Global Times asserted that New Delhi’s alliances with the United States and its partners are unreliable, pressuring India to de-escalate with China. This framing aligns seamlessly with Beijing’s strategic interests.
“The Modi administration has realized that the U.S. and its allies cannot offer India substantial support, especially as tensions with Canada rise, so Washington will not side with New Delhi,” wrote Yang Sheng, chief reporter at the *Global Times*. He added that the Modi administration may consider acting first to “minimize the risks” of a potential U.S. foreign policy shift after the upcoming presidential election.
India’s Diplomatic Gains
Contrary to Yang’s claim, New Delhi’s diplomatic efforts and alliances with the U.S. and its partners have bolstered India’s standing as a key power in the Indo-Pacific. During the recent India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) on October 25 in Delhi, co-chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Germany recognized “India’s political weight in the Indo-Pacific and globally.” This IGC took place just two days after Prime Minister Modi’s meeting with Chinese President Xi.
Additionally, Germany, one of the U.S.’s closest allies, has a bilateral trade volume with China reaching €253.1 billion (around $274 billion) in 2023—double its trade with India. Nonetheless, Germany is keen on shifting focus toward India as it reduces economic dependencies on China and prioritizes New Delhi within the Asia-Pacific region.
On October 16, Chancellor Scholz’s government, committed to building a comprehensive partnership with India, adopted the policy document *Fokus auf Indien* (Focus on India), which acknowledges India’s key concerns about China in the Indo-Pacific.
This policy has deepened Germany’s Indo-Pacific focus. By recognizing India as a vital ally in addressing the China challenge and committing to a “free, open, inclusive, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Berlin has laid a forward-looking foundation for cooperation.
Germany has also pledged to “enhance its engagement with the region in line with the Federal Government’s policy guidelines for the Indo-Pacific.” This move reflects Berlin’s understanding that diversifying alliances is essential to counterbalance China’s influence and ensure regional stability.
US-India Partnership
Meanwhile, US policies toward India have remained largely bipartisan, despite occasional political setbacks. Recently, India and the US outlined an ambitious plan for the ‘Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology.’ Today, the US stands as the largest recipient of India’s defense exports, challenging China’s assertion that “India can’t just snap its fingers and transform into a manufacturing powerhouse overnight.”
China may have a point about the pace of change, but India is gradually progressing toward becoming a significant manufacturing hub.
Should Donald Trump return to the US presidency, the India-US partnership is unlikely to waver, as it is forward-looking and mutually beneficial, encompassing areas such as technology, next-generation defense, clean energy, health, trade, and critical materials.
Additionally, “de-coupling” from the Chinese economy has emerged as a shared strategic priority for both India and the US, highlighting their commitment to countering Beijing’s expansionist tactics in the Indo-Pacific. This strategy not only seeks to reduce economic dependence on China but also serves a broader geopolitical purpose.
Thus, even if China attempts to downplay India’s rising global stature as a driving force behind its military disengagement, it cannot overlook India’s growing ties with the US and its allies.
There is little doubt that China wants the world to believe there is no increasing pressure from local businesses to normalize relations with India. Since Beijing chose to disrupt peace at the LAC in April 2020, Chinese businesses have faced significant repercussions. The decline in Chinese investments in India has weakened China’s geopolitical leverage, limiting its ability to penetrate this key market and increasing pressure on Beijing to meet New Delhi’s demands for resolving the border conflict before normalizing relations.
Chinese media appears to have recently recognized the importance of conveying to New Delhi that an overall improvement in bilateral relations could help India achieve its development aspirations, particularly its vision for Viksit Bharat. However, this message may have arrived too late. The border conflicts of the past five years have fostered a significant trust deficit, and restoring that trust will require China to take more substantial actions beyond mere rhetoric.
