1Ayush Shankar 2Vivek Mehra
1,2 Independent Researcher, India.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21659/jsae/v2n2/v2n215
[Article History: Received: 04 September 2025. Accepted: 19 November 2025. Published: 01 December 2025]
Abstract
The rise of China in terms of economic and military strength has increased its relative power in the international system. As a result, its interests, which are defined in terms of power, have also changed. China, like any other superpower, is expected to maintain its own sphere of influence, which includes regions of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. This changing interest of China and its desire to maintain a sphere of influence in its nearby and strategically important regions comes into conflict with the interests of the existing dominant powers of the region, like India in South Asia and Japan in East Asia, for whom it is imperative to maintain a peaceful and stable neighbourhood for their development and for maintaining their security. China uses several tools, from diplomacy and economic engagement to military assertiveness, to establish its dominance in these regions. China is using its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to deepen its ties with India’s neighbours, with Bhutan being the only neighbour of India that is not a signatory of this project. These states have a high demand for foreign funds to meet their development needs and to escape the middle-income trap, and hence, they see China as an option for meeting their demands. This region is also the major recipient of Chinese arms. This research paper will focus on how China uses arms diplomacy to gain leverage in India’s neighbourhood, its implications for the region’s security situation, and how it affects India’s security. It also deals with how India is responding to the emerging situation and how it is using its defense exports to tackle the Chinese threat.
Keywords: Arms trade, Security competition, BRI, Military, India, China
