bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Zhao Ziwen

A pair of US B-1B supersonic heavy bombers will make a surprise appearance at Exercise Cope India – a joint drill held by US and Indian forces not far from India’s contested border with China.
The bombers, which were seen parked in Bangalore in southern India, will join the drill being held less than 700km (435 miles) from the Chinese border, according to media reports.
The planes will join the air combat phase of the exercise from April 13 to 24 at India’s Kalaikunda Air Force Station. The base is located in the eastern state of West Bengal, which is bordered by Bangladesh and Bhutan.
It will be the first time for the B-1B Lancers to take part in an exercise in India.
US sharing of intelligence with India in China border clash seen as pivotal
Observers said the bombers underscored Washington’s desire to push India to take a more aggressive stance towards China, but the South Asian giant was likely to maintain its balancing act with Beijing.
“The B-1B is a strategic bomber, so even though it has a relatively low attendance rate [in drills] due to high maintenance, it represents a more powerful strategic deep-strike capability and the ability to strike outside the defence zone,” Song Zhongping, a former PLA instructor, said.
“The aim of the US in sending this strategic bomber was to highlight its growing partnership with India and to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the strategic arena.”
According to Song, the intentions of the US were “very obvious”: to provoke the relationship between China and India, and to encourage India to adopt an offensive strategy against China.
“What China needs to worry about most is how much of the military cooperation between India and the US will become constant and long-lasting,” Song said.
Washington played a supporting role in India’s border tensions with China. During the deadly border conflicts at Ladakh in 2020, the US military shared information with Indian forces about Chinese military activities in the mountainous region, according to a memoir by then-US defence chief Mark Esper published last year.
Washington also give Indian troops cold-weather gear during the stand-off, according to the memoir titled A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defence During Extraordinary Times.
The US military also reportedly shared information with Indian troops again last year and helped New Delhi “ward off” a potential movement by the People’s Liberation Army.


Japan, another important player in the US-China rivalry, also joined the military exercise as an observer – typically a sign that a country will take part in the drill in the future.
India and Japan are members of “the Quad”, a US-led security bloc aimed at what the Biden administration has called “maintaining peace and stability” in the Indo-Pacific region. China has criticised it as a “small clique” that is “bent on provoking confrontation”.
However, analysts said India might opt to find a balance, rather than stoke its rivalry with China.
“Both China and India are on the rise, and both countries have great power ambitions, and this sentiment is driving both countries in a relatively tough and uncompromising direction,” said Zhang Jiadong, director of the Institute of South Asia Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai.
“But the main goal of both countries remains economic development, not geopolitical conflict, so it is unlikely that India will extend the old problem of border issues to the rest of the Asia-Pacific region.”
Lula’s presidential win a boost for Brazil-China ties, experts say
India is not an official US ally, and it is a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and BRICS, two important global organisations led by China.
The country has also taken an ambiguous position in the Ukraine crisis.
“India’s style of diplomacy is to deal with as many other countries as possible. The country’s great power ambitions also make it want to have more equal cooperation with the United States rather than picking sides in Asia,” Zhang said.
Additional reporting by Jun Mai


Beijing dominant partner in Russia-China relationship, US congressman Fallon says

China and Trump targeted in House hearing on foreign influence in US non-profits

Treasury chief says US seeks ‘fair’ China competition, eyes Latin America realignment

New US-led minerals bloc renews pressure on Asia to pick sides

US-China relations

US supersonic bombers to make surprise appearance in drill near disputed China-India border

The US bombers were spotted at Exercise Cope India, which kicked off on April 10. Photo: SCMP

US sharing of intelligence with India in border clash with China seen as pivotal in partnership

An Indian soldier stands guard at a checkpoint along the disputed Sino-India border. Photo: EPA-EFE

China and India both claim territories on either side of the Line of Actual Control. Graphic: SCMP

Demonstrators in Mumbai protest against China on December 13 after a border scuffle at the Tawang sector of India’s northeastern Himalayan state of Arunachal Pradesh that led to injuries to soldiers on both sides. Photo: Reuters

From left, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi appear at a Quad summit in Tokyo on May 24, 2022. Photo: Kyodo

China’s moves to assert control along disputed border risk further tensions with India

Indian troops in the Tawang sector, scene of a skirmish late last year, near the Line of Actual Control. Photo: AFP

The two sides have never been able to agree on where their borders lie, and both sides claim sizeable territories on the other side of the Line of Actual Control. Graphic: SCMP

Cuona, one of the two new cities, lies near the border with Bhutan and China claims its boundaries include territory held by India. Photo: Baidu

News

China

Military

Washington sends B-1B Lancers to highlight partnership with New Delhi and push it to adopt aggressive stance towards China, analyst says
However, the South Asian country might opt to find a balance, rather than stoke rivalry with Beijing, says Fudan University professor


Analysts say Washington is sending the B-1B Lancers to highlight its partnership with New Delhi and push it to adopt aggressive stance towards China, but India might opt to strike balance with neighbour.


China-India border dispute

China’s military