India's encirclement challenge: How China's 'string of pearls' undermines regional security

India's 'Operation Sindoor' in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists has brought to the fore the deep involvement of China in Pakistan's military affairs.

The large-scale use of Chinese fighter planes like J-17, missiles and drones gave China an opportunity to test its military arsenal in real-time situation and assess their capability, capability. China, an all-weather friend of Pakistan, not only provided assistance in the form of military hardware but also minute-to-minute reports about Indian troops' movement and deployment through data accessed from its military satellites.

In fact, according to an assertion made by a senior Indian military general, India was fighting on two fronts, though this has been denied by China. The India-China relations, which took a nosedive following the Galwan clash on the border, have of late been on the mend following close talks between the political and military leadership of the two countries.

The latest slugfest between India and China over the issue of finding a successor to the Dalai Lama on the occasion of the spiritual leader's 90th birthday has again brought the differences to the fore.

India today finds itself on the back foot amidst a hostile neighbourhood. Not to speak of Pakistan, the country's relations with Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, and Maldives are also not on the best of terms.

Taking advantage of the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh, China has been trying to get closer to Muhammad Yunus, the interim chief administrator and the new dispensation.

With Hasina taking refuge in India, relations between the two countries are at an all-time low. With Nepal, with a communist government close to the Chinese, our relations have never been smooth. The military rulers of Myanmar, who have been closely supported by the Chinese economically and militarily, have never been on the best of terms with India.

Even Sri Lanka, which, till the other day, was hostile towards India, became friendly only when India bailed it out of a serious financial crisis. However, China continues to pull the strings here with its huge financial loans and large infrastructure projects. The security scenario in the Indian subcontinent and the Indian Ocean region continues to play out in China's favour.

As per its 'String of Pearls' strategy, Beijing aims to undermine India's influence and dominance in the region by surrounding it with a string of hostile nations, while furthering its own agenda of trade and commerce along with military dominance. Under the circumstances, India needs to seriously devise a roadmap to counter the Chinese plans and try to meet the looming security and economic threats.