India, Border Country No. 2 'USA'... More Wary Than of Old Foes

Indian Citizens Name 'China' as Top Threat Nation
Despite Disputes with Pakistan, Second Highest Threat is 'United States'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Indians consider China, with which they are clashing over the border, as the most threatening country, but the United States, which is also focusing on containing China, is recognized as a threat as well. It is considered unusual that the US has risen above Pakistan, a long-time rival.

According to a survey conducted by the US consulting firm Morning Consult at the end of last year targeting 1,000 Indians, 43% of respondents named China as the country posing the greatest threat to India. India and China fought a war in 1962 over border issues, but they still repeatedly have large and small disputes in the Galwan Valley of the border region of Kashmir Ladakh. In 2020, the armies of both countries clashed, resulting in dozens of deaths.

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

However, the second most threatening country identified by them was the United States. According to the survey, 22% of respondents judged that the US poses a security threat to India more than India’s long-time rival Pakistan. Pakistan and Russia each recorded 13%, ranking third among threatening countries.

Indians’ unfavorable view of the US is also reflected in responses regarding responsibility for the Russia-Ukraine war. Thirty-eight percent of Indians said Russia is responsible for the war, but 26% said the US is responsible.

The concern that India could also get involved in the conflict if US-China tensions escalate is analyzed as the reason why the US was chosen as the second country to be wary of. Sonnet Frisby, Executive Director of Geopolitical Crisis Analysis at Morning Consult, said, “Although India and the US seem to have to become partners due to mutual distrust of China, Indians have strategic reasons to be cautious of the US, a global superpower,” adding, “Indians worry that if tensions between the US and China escalate, regional security will become unstable.”

In fact, India has shown an independent stance, such as not joining Western sanctions against Russia in the Russia-Ukraine war. India has traditionally pursued neutral diplomacy to prevent major powers from exerting excessive influence over the country. Another reason Indians blame the US for the war is that India maintains close relations with Russia. India is a member of the US-led security consultative group Quad, but at the same time has maintained close ties with Russia since the Cold War era to check Pakistan and China.

Shumita Debeshwar, an India research analyst at the British research company TS Lombard, explained, “Russia is a major country supplying weapons and cheap oil to India and has had a longer relationship with India than the US since India’s independence,” adding, “This image of Russia is deeply rooted in the minds of Indians, so it will take a long time for this perception to change.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.