An Appraisal of Power Balancing between India and China

Abstract

According to the realist logic of the balance of power theory, if China emerges as a superpower and builds a powerful military force through strong economic power, neighboring countries will ultimately seek to balance against China by aligning with a military coalition led by the United States to contain China in the same way that Western European countries, Japan, South Korea, and even China joined the security alliance led by the United States to contain the Soviet Union during the Cold War. If so, is India, China’s neighbor, also shifting to a balancing strategy against China? This study argues that India’s various strategic actions toward China can be regarded as typical characteristics of a balancing strategy, suggesting that the neorealist balance of power theory remains able to explain the relationship between India and China in the 21st century.