TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — India is looking to set out its position on a potential Taiwan-China conflict, according to a number of reports, as ties between India and Taiwan continue to warm.
Traditionally, India has been non-aligned and was among the first countries to recognize the People’s Republic of China in 1949. It has had an occasionally damaged relationship with the United States, but this too seems to be improving.
Against this background, Bloomberg reported Friday (Sept. 8) that “following discreet inquiries” from the U.S. it was now studying a potential response to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
Reportedly commissioned about six weeks ago, the report is being prepared by senior India’s Defense Chief General Anil Chauhan. One option is for India to serve as a hub for allied warships and aircraft to resist China. However, it could also take the dramatic step of opening up a new theater of conflict on its border with China.
Once concluded, the study will be reviewed by India’s leaders before coming to a policy decision.
India has clashed over border lines of demarcation with China in recent years. The Southeast Asian nation is becoming more powerful and challenging China as a “third pole” on the global geopolitical stage. At the same time, its relations with the U.S. have improved.
According to The Diplomat, 55% of India’s trade by volume passes through the South China Sea, which would be massively affected by any conflict. Furthermore, trade with Taiwan has improved and was more than US$10 billion in 2022-23.
