(Photo: Xinhua)

Despite occasional animosity, China and India have operated in different spheres and avoided major conflict since 1962. Bilateral ties only turned sour after the Doklam standoff last year, when the Indian troops crossed the China-India border into Chinese territory to obstruct the road building of the Chinese side. Now that one year has passed, the ice is breaking, with China’s Defense Minister Wei Fenghe going on a four-day visit to New Delhi as of Tuesday.

The visit, which is a step forward and did not come easily, is viewed as an important one, as it is expected to improve communication between the military of the two countries after the months-long border dispute. For China and India, which fought wars over territorial disputes in history, the restoration of mutual trust between their armies and defense cooperation is particularly important.

China and India have been drawing lessons from the Doklam standoff which deteriorated bilateral ties. Both have made visible efforts to bring bilateral ties back on the right track. During the standoff, Indian journalists were invited by China’s Defense Ministry for a visit and had a face-to-face dialogue with senior officers of the People’s Liberation Army.

In July this year, a high-level Chinese military delegation visited India to promote strategic trust and cooperation between the two armies, another sign of improving bilateral ties.

In the foreseeable future, China and India are not expected to engage in any major face-offs like the Doklam one. China is no fan of military clashes, and India should have realized that such clashes consume enormous diplomatic resources. Prime Minister Narendra Modi needs a stable external environment to secure his leadership in next year’s general elections. More importantly, India will continue to play flip-flop to gain leverage in further engagement with China.

Exactly one day before the visit of China’s defense chief, India and Japan agreed to begin talks on a pact that would allow them to share defense capabilities and supplies including fuel and ammunition. They also decided to expand defense ties and hold their first-ever joint army exercise later this year.

Perhaps not accidentally, the first India-US 2+2 dialogue, after getting deferred twice, is reportedly scheduled to take place in New Delhi in early September. As Washington views New Delhi as an "all-weather partner," the two will discuss how to operationalize India’s status as a major US defense partner.

Analysts tend to associate the intimacy between India and its strategic partners to the country’s balancing act toward a rising China, though India did not openly say it. But India’s concern of China’s power projection in the Indian Ocean and its footprint in South Asia may be real. Feeling being encircled by China, India responds by fortifying its relations with strategic partners.

India, Japan and the US have agreed to work collectively on strategic port development in the Indo-Pacific region, apparently seeking to balance China’s role in the region. With Australia joining, the four aim to resuscitate the “Quad” which by and large has a China-centric security agenda.

With China-India ties resetting, deciding with whom to partner and under what circumstances remains a prominent challenge for India’s strategists. That India safeguards its own national interests does not necessarily require thwarting those of China’s. It would just be dangerous if India regards its defense cooperation with its partners as their commitment to aid India in a potential conflict with China.

India should understand that China’s efforts to increase its presence in South Asia and the Indian Ocean are not meant to encircle India, but are part of its modernization drive. The Indian Ocean is vast enough to accommodate China and India, as well as other countries. Interaction and competition between the two in the region and beyond is an opportunity to address each other’s concerns and build up mutual trust.