India's nuclear bomb and future Sino-Indian relations

Abstract

India's nuclear tests in May 1998 caused a major setback for the Sino-Indian relationship. This article attempts to answer why the relationship was turned around so quickly and what the strategic fallouts are of the Indian nuclear tests for future Sino-Indian relations. The author argues that despite measurable improvements in Sino-Indian relations in recent years, the two nations still view each other as geostrategic rivals. The major motivation for New Delhi's bomb decision is that it has felt increasingly uncomfortable with the power asymmetry between Indian and China, and it wants to sit as an equal to China at the table of world powers by declaring itself a nuclear weapons state.