 "New security challenge for India: CDS Chauhan flags China-Pakistan-Bangladesh axis as regional risk")
India’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, on Tuesday (July 8) warned that a “possible convergence” of interests between China, Pakistan and Bangladesh could have serious “security implications” for regional stability.
He also said the United States’ current geopolitical stance was adding complexity to an already unstable global security landscape.
Speaking at the launch of the Foreign Policy Survey 2024 hosted by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), a Delhi-based think tank, Gen Chauhan said, “Frequent shifts in government in South Asia with changing geopolitical equation and ideological views is another major challenge that we face.” He added, “Similarly, there is a possible convergence of interest we can talk about between China, Pakistan and Bangladesh, (that) may have security implications for regional stability and security dynamics.”
Strategic autonomy not isolation
Gen Chauhan stressed that India’s foreign policy of “strategic autonomy” should not be mistaken for “strategic isolation”. He pointed out that the current global order is in flux, with the world “transiting between two orders”, while the role of the United States continues to be an “additional layer of complexity”.
He also noted the growing influence of foreign powers in the Indian Ocean region, which he attributed to economic distress among regional nations. This, he said, has enabled the use of “debt diplomacy” to exert leverage, particularly referencing countries like the Maldives and Sri Lanka, which have borrowed heavily from China in recent years. Sri Lanka defaulted on its debt in 2022, prompting a major crisis that saw India provide over $3 billion in emergency assistance.
Gen Chauhan also mentioned the prolonged civil war in Myanmar, ongoing since 2021, where ethnic armed groups have gained control over significant territories.
China’s role during Operation Sindoor
When asked about Chinese involvement during India’s Operation Sindoor against Pakistan in May, Gen Chauhan said, “The fact is that Islamabad procures a large part of its defence platforms from Beijing. This in turn requires original equipment manufacturers to be present in Pakistan as part of their civil liabilities.” He added that determining whether this presence was “state-sponsored requires further verification”.
Operation Sindoor was launched after the Pahalgam terror attack in April that killed 26 people. The Indian response saw strikes on terror complexes across the border. The 87-hour conflict escalated when Pakistan responded with full-scale military action.
“Pakistan escalated this particular conflict into a fully conventional kind of a domain,” Gen Chauhan said. “The escalation to a conventional domain was in the hands of Pakistan.”
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
