Indo-Pacific

Analysis of Indo-Pacific security architecture, QUAD, maritime strategy, South China Sea tensions, and regional balance of power dynamics.

The Idea of US-China G2: What It Means for India?: Interview of Major General Dr. S B Asthana by FPRC, India, Issue 67.

The idea of a US-China “G2” has resurfaced with renewed force as Washington and Beijing attempt to manage an increasingly complex relationship marked simultaneously by rivalry, economic interdependence and strategic competition.

But can two powers really co-manage a world that is increasingly multipolar, economically interconnected and technologically diffused?

In this exclusive FPRC Journal 67 (ISSN 2277 – 2464) , Major General Dr S B Asthana, SM, VSM, PhD (Veteran), examines the structural viability of the G2 concept, President Donald Trump’s evolving China policy, the strategic calculations behind the Trump-Xi engagement, and the implications for India.

The interview argues that the world is not moving towards a clean bipolar order. Instead, it is witnessing what can better be described as “adversarial coexistence under conditions of mutual dependence.”

For India, both US-China accommodation and confrontation carry risks. The answer, therefore, is neither alignment nor passive neutrality, but strategic autonomy backed by economic resilience, technological self-reliance, diversified partnerships and flexible diplomacy.

The interview also examines whether the Indo-Pacific is developing a “G-Minus-Two” architecture and concludes that the emerging reality is better understood as a lattice of overlapping mini-laterals rather than a coherent third bloc.

Xi Jinping’s Art of Smart Dictatorship 3.0: Why China Rises as America Is Distracted

Xi Jinping is playing a long strategic game while Washington is increasingly consumed by crises elsewhere. From China's expanding footprint at Antelope Reef in the Paracels to the sweeping purge of senior PLA commanders, Xi's consolidation of personal power is reshaping China's strategic posture. Meanwhile, America's attention is divided among Iran, tariffs, Venezuela, Greenland and domestic political pressures.

The coming Trump–Xi encounter may generate headlines, deals and diplomatic warmth—but beneath the summit theatre, the structural competition remains. The real question is no longer whether China is rising, but whether a distracted America can sustain the attention required to manage that rise. This subject has been analysed by me since last decade, with articles published in global journals since 2022, till as late as 2026 in Modern Diplomacy (EU) on 27 August 2026. Links are attached below the article/Analysis.

An Emerald Set in Gold: Great Nicobar and India’s Strategic Reckoning with the Malacca Chokepoint

The Island That Could Change India’s Maritime Equation

Great Nicobar may be far from mainland India, but its strategic significance reaches far beyond the island itself. Located close to the Malacca Strait, the project combines maritime infrastructure, connectivity, economic ambition and defence potential at a critical Indo-Pacific chokepoint. This analysis examines why India is finally converting geography into strategic capability, what it means for China's Malacca dilemma, how it could strengthen India's maritime role, and why strategic necessity must still be balanced with environmental and tribal safeguards. This has been discussed by me in various international forums, some of which are attached in this analysis.

Cartographic Warfare: China’s Silent Offensive to Redraw Borders Without Fighting

China's repeated publication of official maps claiming Arunachal Pradesh, Aksai Chin, Taiwan and the South China Sea is far more than diplomatic posturing. It is part of a long-term strategy of Cartographic Warfare—integrating legal warfare, psychological warfare and narrative dominance within Beijing's doctrine of Active Defence. This article examines how maps have become instruments of grey-zone conflict, why Nepal and Bangladesh illustrate the regional spread of cartographic politics, and what India must do to counter this evolving challenge. As geopolitical competition increasingly shifts into the cognitive battlespace, India must respond not merely with diplomatic protests but through an integrated strategy combining military preparedness, legal documentation, strategic communication and international partnerships.

Maps are no longer passive representations of geography—they have become active instruments of geopolitical competition. China's repeated cartographic claims since 2023 demonstrate a carefully calibrated strategy aimed at manufacturing legal legitimacy, shaping public perception and gradually altering the status quo without conventional conflict. This article explores how cartography has evolved into an integral component of China's Three Warfares strategy and assesses the implications for India, the Indo-Pacific and the future of grey-zone competition.

India at a Strategic Crossroads: Why Strategic Autonomy Matters More Than Ever

As global geopolitics undergoes a profound transformation, India confronts simultaneous challenges on its Himalayan borders, in the Indian Ocean, and across West Asia. This article examines why strategic autonomy, indigenous defence capability, and calibrated multi-engagement remain India's most effective response to an increasingly transactional international order. As Washington and Beijing recalibrate their relationship, India faces its most consequential strategic choices since the Cold War2.0. The answers lies in building capabilities and maintaining genuine strategic autonomy till then.

Xi, Trump, Kim and the New Nuclear Normal

"North Korea is no longer merely a nuclear challenge. It risks becoming the precedent."
North Korea has evolved from an isolated security concern into a central player in twenty-first century geopolitics.

As strategic competition between the United States, China and Russia intensifies, Pyongyang has leveraged nuclear deterrence, geopolitical balancing and economic adaptation to transform itself from a sanctioned outlier into a consequential actor within an emerging multipolar order.

This article examines why Donald Trump adopted a comparatively restrained approach towards Kim Jong Un, how Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin have reshaped North Korea's strategic environment, whether the country's economy is more resilient than commonly perceived, and why the Korean precedent may encourage future nuclear ambitions in Iran, Japan and South Korea.

Most importantly, it explores whether the international community has quietly shifted from preventing nuclear proliferation to merely managing it.

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The Idea of US-China G2: What It Means for India?: Interview of Major General Dr. S B Asthana by FPRC, India, Issue 67.