Chinese missile-laden bombers flew over a contested border area with India recently, following the breakdown of bilateral talks between Indian and Chinese regional military commanders.
The near-simultaneity of the collapse of military negotiations and the threatening fly-over by People’s Liberation Army Air Force bombers underscores China’s willingness to punish India for having resisted Beijing’s territorial claims and aggression in the region.
China’s aggressive stance may also be, in part, motivated by Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping’s testing of the U.S. effort to develop strategic cooperation among America’s Pacific allies in order to curb Chinese expansionist policies. China is most likely also attempting to weaken the resolve of the non-U.S. countries of the so-called Quad — India, Australia and Japan — to rely on American promises to defend them.
