On September 27, 2020, the Center for International Security and Strategy, Tsinghua University (CISS), held its 14th Security and Strategy Seminar titled “China-India Relations amid Great-Power Competition and Responses to Neighboring Geopolitical Challenges.” The event brought together around 20 CISS Fellows and guests (list attached) in a mixture of virtual and face-to-face discussion.

Moderated by CISS Senior Fellow ZHOU Bo, the seminar was divided into two sessions: “Analysis of China-India Relations and Policy Evaluation” and “Great-Power Competition and China’s Neighboring Geopolitical Challenges.”

In the first session, participants focused on major issues related to China-India relationship, including the root cause for the current turbulence in this bilateral relationship, the nature and underlying reasons for India's strategic changes to China, the strategy and policy China should adopt towards India given its increasingly tough strategic stance, the role of economic and trade relations in the China-India relationship, as well as the risks of the border issue faced by both countries and China’s response strategy. 

The discussion in the second session centered around China’s neighboring regions and national security, including the impact of the intensified great-power competition on the China-India relationship, and potential risks for this relationship against the backdrop of U.S. elections. Participants agreed on the need to ensure that China and India’s border situation remains manageable and controllable in the future, to develop a stable and promising China-India relationship, and to safeguard the geopolitical security in China's neighboring regions.

The Security and Strategy Seminar —CISS’s brand forum—regularly invites Chinese experts and scholars from various fields to discuss subjects of interest concerning security and strategy. Previous topics include China-US relations, the Belt and Road Initiative, China's international communication, and etc.