India’s quiet move to outsmart China

India has launched a high-level, quiet diplomatic campaign to put pressure on China through its neighbours to end a seven-week military stand-off at Doklam near Sikkim.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a telephone call to his Nepali counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba on Friday. While the call was meant to convey condolences at the loss of life in Nepal due to recent widespread floods, the timing was significant as Deuba is beginning a five-day visit to India on August 23, his first foreign trip after his election two months ago. China has been making concerted efforts to woo Nepal, and its Vice Premier Wang Yang was in Kathmandu on August 14.

India is also preparing to host Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in late September. As part of preparations, both countries held a cybersecurity dialogue on Friday. The dialogue which involved top security agencies of both countries is significant in the wake of increasing cyberattacks originating from China. In a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), both sides reaffirmed their commitment to an open, free, secure, stable, peaceful, and accessible cyberspace, enabling economic growth and innovation.

In particular, both sides reaffirmed that existing international law is generally applicable in cyberspace, and …read more