The Similarities and Differences in the Nuclear Postures of India and China, and the Prospect of Strategic Stability between the Two Countries
Keywords:
nuclear, Chinese nuclear, Indian nuclearAbstract
Asia is home to nuclear powers, such as China, India, and Pakistan, which are seeking to develop and modernise their military programmes. Motivated by the need to counter potential security risks, each state aims to develop nuclear ballistic missiles and cruise missile delivery systems. Such nuclear competition is dangerous, given the increasing lack of confidence and the failure of diplomatic steps in place to minimise confrontational risk. The nuclear dimension of the relationship between China and India is striking vis-à-vis other nuclear competitions. On account of significant asymmetries in their second-strike capabilities, their deterrence relationship should require military stability and necessitate risks such as potential nuclear use or threat of use, and a nuclear arms race. Nevertheless, the demonstration of such risks has been restrained to a substantial extent. This situation can be defined by the characteristics of the overall China-India relationship, the stability of the balance of conventional weapons and battlefield tactics, the unification of confidence-building measures, the nonexistence of the “stability-instability paradox” dialogue, and the political conception of nuclear weapons of these two countries. (Kurita, 2018, pp. 37-38) This academic essay will examine the similarities and differences in the nuclear postures and its consequence on the strategic stability between India and China. Moreover, Pakistan also one of the essential players in the region because it is a well-known fact that the Chinese government supports Pakistan’s nuclear program. As a result, it increases the tension between these nations in Asia in terms of nuclear proliferation, especially India. This article is divided into three sections. The first part deals with the Chinese nuclear arsenal and strategic doctrine. It then describes the Indian nuclear force and deterrent capabilities. The final section examines the similarities and differences in nuclear postures and the prospects for strategic stability between these two countries.
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