India’s Military Contemplates Response To Potential China-Taiwan Conflict

India is looking at how it could respond to a possible Chinese attack of Taiwan. This is because the US asked India in a quiet way how the South Asian country could help if there was a war, and top Indian government officials say that India is now doing this.

About six weeks ago, India’s top military leader, Defense Chief General Anil Chauhan, asked for a study to be done on how a war over the island involving the US and its allies would affect the rest of the world and what India could do in response, according to two senior Indian officials who asked not to be named because the discussions are private. They said that the order came after the US brought up the problem in several different places.

They said that the study would look at different war scenarios and give India choices in case a war broke out. Some Indian military commanders think that strong words might be enough of a reaction if the war is short. However, officials say that won’t be enough if the conflict drags on for a long time like Russia’s war in Ukraine.

India’s plans for a possible war over Taiwan show how its “multi-alignment” policy will be put to the test if relations between the US and China get much worse. India has made its own way in international relations under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It has built close links with the US but hasn’t joined international sanctions against Russia.

But there have also been problems with China along the LAC. This has made things worse between the two countries, which may be why President Xi Jinping isn’t going to the Group of 20 meeting this weekend in New Delhi. In recent years, India has strengthened its defense links with the US by joining the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue with Japan and Australia. This is a group of democracies that wants to stop China from becoming more powerful.

One option the Indian military will look into is becoming a logistics hub to provide repair and maintenance facilities for allied warships and aircraft as well as food, fuel, and medical equipment for troops fighting against China, officials said. In a worst-case situation, they said, they would look at the chance that India would get directly involved along its northern border, giving China a new place to fight.

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One of the sources said that there is no set date for the study to be done, but the Indian military has been told to finish it as soon as possible. The options that have been made will be open to Modi and other political leaders in case they need to make a final decision about what to do.

When asked questions by email, India’s Defense Ministry and Foreign Ministry didn’t answer. When asked for a response, the US State Department didn’t answer right away.

India and China have moved thousands of soldiers, artillery guns, tanks, and rockets closer to their unmarked border, which is about the same length as the border between the US and Mexico. Diplomatic talks haven’t led to much progress, and last month, China released a new map that claimed land that is controlled by India. External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar called this “absurd.”

India has made it clear that it doesn’t want the Quad to look like a military alliance, and it still gets weapons for any war in the area from Russia, which is China’s most important diplomatic partner. Still, it has been working behind the scenes to improve ties with Taiwan. Last month, three former Indian military chiefs who left their jobs in the past year all went to Taiwan.

Five years ago, India and the US signed a Logistics-Exchange Memorandum of Agreement. This was the first step in making sure that boats and planes could be refueled and restocked, and that bases could be used when needed.