India's Complex Balancing Act between China and the U.S.
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China may view India as tilting toward the U.S. rather than staying relatively neutral in the China-U.S. rivalry. This could motivate certain Chinese actions aimed at nudging India away from the U.S.
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Nehru had strategic foresight on China but fell short on tactical diplomacy. He did not leverage India's position enough when recognizing China.
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India played an active mediating role in the Taiwan Strait crises of the 1950s, contradicting the assumption that India was uninvolved.
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Early India-China relations suffered from a lack of high-level engagement, allowing misassumptions to solidify. Direct leader contact is important.
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The way forward is "armed coexistence" with military buildup and deterrence coupled with eventual political dialogue between India and China.