India should compete in Central Asia in cooperation with America:
India recognizes that its greatest strategic rival in the region is China. Muzalevsky calls China the greatest “barrier” to India’s emergence as a power in Central Asia and a global great power. Indeed, India views Chinese strategy here as one of geopolitical encirclement. Muzalevsky writes:
To that purpose, China has . . . used its growing economic and security partnerships with Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar to India’s northeast; Sri-Lanka, Thailand, and Malaysia to India’s southeast; Pakistan and Afghanistan to India’s northwest; and Central Asia to India’s northwest.
This landward geographical encirclement coupled with China’s expanded role in the Indian Ocean poses insurmountable dilemmas for India’s plans to expand its influence in Central Asia unless it eschews non-alignment and, Muzalevsky suggests, strategically partners with the United States.
I'm not even that committed to winning the great game in Central Asia, truth be told. Although if India wants to win that game, I'd help them.
But basically I just want China to commit to Central Asia at the expense of their seaward focus that runs right into American interests.
And making the seaward side a tougher nut to crack can help push the Chinese inland, eh? So help the Taiwanese get submarines. Submarines would both help Taiwan sink Chinese navy assets trying to blockade Taiwan and help sink shipping going to and from China.
Remember, our pivot of military assets to Asia and the Pacific is just one way to restore the balance of power with China in our favor. Getting China to pivot away from the Pacific to the interior of Asia is the other way.
