India's Security and Climate Policy: Navigating the China Challenge
Miriam Prys-Hansen / Simon Kaack
India's Security and Climate Policy: Navigating the China Challenge
Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs | 2024
Abstract
In a world rich in climate knowledge but short on climate action, it is important to understand the political reasons behind the apparent failure of states to address this planetary crisis. One underexplored dimension of this phenomenon is the impact of broader geopolitics and rivalry, in specific the ability and willingness of potential and actual security and economic rivals to leave their contention at the gates of the UNFCCC. This paper focuses on India’s multifaceted approach to its “China challenge” with and outside the climate regime. While conventional scholarship focuses on the security and economic dimensions of this rivalry, this study offers a distinct perspective that examines whether this rivalry might lead to a breakdown of cooperation and an increased potential for conflict and weaponisation of seemingly disconnected issue-areas. Drawing on a comprehensive triangulation of policy documents, government statements, and scholarly literature, this paper evaluates the domestic and international factors shaping India’s climate-related China policies, including the countries’ unique economic ambitions, development imperatives, energy needs, and global climate commitments. Furthermore, the paper examines Sino-Indian interactions in international arenas such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and BRICS, and how these interactions influence global climate governance.
In 2026, trade negotiations with the US and EU will need to be balanced by India with the demands of its BRICS presidency amid a shifting global order. Complex ties with China and the US, state elections, and tensions with the South Asian country’s diverse neighbours will test the ruling government.
Trotz ihrer Heterogenität sollte die Bedeutung der BRICS auch in sicherheitspolitischer Hinsicht nicht unterschätzt werden. Während interne Spannungen fortbestehen, gewinnt die Gruppe sowohl symbolisch als auch diskursiv an Einfluss – gerade im Globalen Süden.
The G20 summit in Brazil will take place at a crossroads in the global power dynamic. The traditional dominance of the rich nations is being challenged by a more united Global South, while diplomatic bridges need to be built to address pressing economic, political, and environmental issues.
