Taiwan–India relations under the shadow of a rising China

Abstract

International relation theorists have long debated a state’s strategic options of balancing or bandwagoning when facing an external threat. However, there has been little discussion on whether two countries facing a common adversary are willing to form an alliance and whether such an alliance will lead to open conflict with the shared adversary. Facing an increasingly powerful China, Taiwan has a strong incentive to seek a strategic ally that also harbours a deep suspicion of the former’s growing power projection. India appears to be an ideal choice: it is a nuclear power, a rising economic giant on the world stage, and powerful enough to be a stalwart ally in the event of Beijing’s threats and responses. The question, however, is whether Taipei and New Delhi are interested in forming an alliance. Taiwan initiated relations with India in the mid-1990s as part of its ‘pragmatic diplomacy’, but both sides have shown interests in upgrading the relationship to a strategic level in recent years. This, to a large extent, is a response to China’s rising influence in the region and deteriorating relations between Beijing and New Delhi. An examination of the India–Taiwan partnership not only helps us understand whether two countries facing a common threat will naturally form an alliance but also how both sides manoeuvre to strengthen such a partnership.