Jabin T. Jacob

The Moving Needle of China’s Wolf Warrior Diplomacy | India's World China’s “wolf warrior” diplomacy is a key feature of Chinese foreign policy in the ‘new era’ under Communist Party of China (CPC) General Secretary Xi Jinpi ...

In this piece for the foreign policy magazine, India's World, I argue that China’s wolf warrior diplomacy is a sophisticated exercise based on the balance of power between nations. There's one approach for the US, one for US allies- EU and Japan- and another for India
indiasworld.in/the-moving-n...

China and an American Pope in Rome The most important challenge that Leo XIV might pose to China’s ruling communists might be the specific agenda that he brings to his role based on his past work and his identity as a member of the Aug...

How will China look at Leo XIV?
Three aspects deserve attention — the relationship between China and the Vatican, the Global South dimension, and the political challenge to China’s ruling Communist Party that the new Pope's background and agenda poses.

www.deccanherald.com/opinion/chin...

I discuss China's statements on the Pahalgam terrorist attack in Jammu & Kashmir.
1. it took its time calling the attack a case of terrorism
2. 🇨🇳 is using the opportunity to reinforce hyphenation of 🇮🇳 and 🇵🇰
3. Beijing's approach to Pakistan is transactional
www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment...

In trade war with the US, China’s strong language hides its frailties In China, youth unemployment has hit historic highs. The Covid pandemic was a spectacular failure of political accountability. The continuing anti-corruption campaign suggests that the Augean stables ...

Yes, the US administration is unpredictable and has sent global trade into a spin. By contrast, China conveys the impression not just of stability but of being able to last the distance in the tariff war with the US. Impressions can be deceptive though.
indianexpress.com/article/opin...

Two problems stand in the way of better India-China ties - one old, one relatively new, both intractable. It would require truly extraordinary, non-zero sum game approaches on both sides to fix relations

1 April marked the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between 🇮🇳 and 🇨🇳. Relations seem a lot better today than they were a year ago. But will the trend continue? www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/indi...

[Research Report] India-China Border Tensions Are Likely to Continue The Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA), founded in 1959, is a private, nonpartisan policy think-tank focused on foreign affairs and security issues.

For the Japan Institute of International Affairs, I offer both an overview of 🇮🇳India-China 🇨🇳 relations over the past few months of apparent thaw - across the end of 2024 and early 2025 - and an assessment of the post-2020 situation.
www.jiia.or.jp/en/column/20...

‘Dragon-elephant tango’ sounds good, but India must not drop its guard Recent months have seen an increased interest in both New Delhi and Beijing for improved relations.

I parse Chinese Premier Li Qiang's annual Work Report presented in March 2025 for its implications for the globe and for 🇮🇳. 🇨🇳is acutely aware of its need for friends and partners. Current positive vibes notwithstanding, India should proceed with caution.
www.deccanherald.com/opinion/chin...

Harmony means hierarchy: Lifting the veil on China’s global community rhetoric | India's World At the beginning of the year, Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, inaugurated the Research Center on Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind at ...

In the second issue of Indian international affairs magazine, India's World, I examine what China actually means when it refers to "harmony" or "global community"
indiasworld.in/harmony-mean...

Greater cooperative federalism in India a must to push economic thaw with China Both Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi have, since coming to power in Beijing and New Delhi respectively, driven a strong trend towards centralisation of power away from the provinces/states

Indian Foreign Sec. Vikram Misri's meeting in January with CPC official Liu Jianchao did not get much attention. I discuss the implications of the meeting and suggest that greater agency for Indian states is crucial if economic outreach to China is to succeed.
www.deccanherald.com/opinion/grea...

For China, Age is More than a Number  | India's World On one of his state visits to Egypt in the 1990s, the then Chinese President Jiang Zemin is said to have discovered that the Egyptians showcased their civil ...

In the first issue of new Indian foreign affairs magazine, India's World, I write about how China is using the antiquity of its civilization as a tool of legitimacy in international affairs.
indiasworld.in/for-china-ag...

The Chinese Party-state is as concerned about achieving political stability and efficient administration as it is about territorial sovereignty. China's administration of border areas remains a work in progress. Xiaokang villages are interesting because all these elements come together in them.

Contrary to received wisdom, the Chinese state is neither super efficient nor particularly quick in implementing policies. Under CPC General Secretary Xi Jinping, border security and border administration have become increasingly intertwined and support each other.

We note that while these villages certainly have security implications, equally interesting is what they tell us about China's approaches to border governance - its concerns and domestic objectives, how it generates resources and how it implements policies.

We examine 44 of these villages in 4 border counties in Ngari prefecture and one in Shigatse city offering Google Earth coordinates for each of them and using a simple measure of their distance from the LAC or the international boundary to assess how important they are from a military point of view.

My colleagues, Japneet Kaur, Devendra Kumar and I write about the socio-economic and political goals of China's 边境小康村 or ‘moderately well-off border villages in Tibet Autonomous Region.
for the Centre for Himalayan Studies at Shiv Nadar University, India
snu.edu.in/centres/cent...

Ishiba-Trump meet a diplomatic win for Japan The US visits of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are noteworthy because neither country is one that the mainstream American public has been known to care much ...

Together with Prof. Chisako Masuo of Kyushu University, I write on Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's high-stakes February visit to the United States under a second Donald Trump administration.
www.deccanherald.com/opinion/ishi...

Trump kan ha påskyndat avtrappning - Studio Ett Kan president Donald Trumps hot om handelstullar leda till ett närmare samarbete mellan Indien och Kina? Sedan sommaren 2020, då indiska och kinesiska ...

for friends in Sweden:
talking about India-China disengagement on the Line of Actual Control and the impact of the Trump presidency on 🇮🇳-🇨🇳 relations on Sveriges Radio
www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/trum...

Vikram Misri’s Beijing visit underlines India’s limited options For India, there are no easy options available after years of a China policy built on talking things up at home and little analytical capacity building.

What to make of Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri's visit to Beijing in January 2025?
China will continue with pressure on river data sharing and economic and trade issues while India will likely go slow on visas, journalists and the SCO
www.deccanherald.com//opinion/vik...

it isn't 🇮🇳 that gained from any strategic patience and resolve since 2020 but 🇨🇳 by driving down Indian expectations of a peaceful boundary settlement to virtually nil and showing up India's lack of ability to respond to Chinese provocations in a credible manner 2/2
indianexpress.com/article/opin...

Special Representatives on the India-China boundary question have met 3 times since the first 'informal summit' between Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping in Wuhan in 2018. The latest meeting earlier this week was their first in 5 years. I compare the 6 statements (3 from each side) and argue that 1/2