Post-Galwan
What’s the outcome of the Galwan standoff? In the immediate now, China has obviously come out on top. But the longer-term outcome is far more murky. The banning of Chinese apps, taken at face value, hardly meant anything, beyond hitting the profits of Tik Tok. But has it set India thinking more concretely along certain new lines, wonders the Deccan Herald : “It has also signalled that it is willing to bear economic costs with its decisions to keep Chinese companies out of government contracts, infrastructure and critical strategic sectors.” A significantly lower share of the largest growing economy in the world (other than China itself) will hurt China. Or are the Chinese hoping that the cost advantage of Chinese companies can’t be wished away? Or will India, if more such incidents happen, take that plunge anyway? Can China be sure of what India may or may not do on the economic front? On a bigger scale, did China push once too often in its territorial disputes? Conside...