Nuclear balance is a pillar of security in the Indo-Pacific region. China has continued to improve its second-strike nuclear deterrent capabilities. Meanwhile, India has gained greater access to foreign nuclear materials and technology to build a more advanced nuclear weapons program. These parallel developments have added new complexities to security interactions between Beijing and New Delhi that deserve careful attention from policymakers and other observers alike.

In this podcast, Tong Zhao and Chintamani Mahapatra examined how these new realities present both challenges and opportunities for policymakers as they manage the nuclear relationship between China and India. The two discussed whether China and India can cooperate on nuclear energy policy and how India’s ongoing efforts to modernize its nuclear arsenal has affected bilateral nuclear stability. They also assessed implications of India’s acceptance into the Nuclear Suppliers Group for regional nuclear order and Pakistan’s nuclear program.

Chintamani Mahapatra

Chintamani Mahapatra is the chairman of the Canada, U.S., and Latin American Studies Department at the School of International Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Tong Zhao

Tong Zhao is an associate at the Carnegie–Tsinghua Center for Global Policy who specializes in nuclear and strategic security issues.