India's <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/india-conducted-asat-test-because-they-face-threats-from-other-nations-in-space-us-commander-to-senate-committee-209715">anti-satellite missile test</a> carried out last month was clearly targeted towards China and could exacerbate New Delhi's rivalry with Beijing, a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/we-continue-to-collaborate-with-india-on-security-and-safety-in-space-us-on-asat-test-207649">top US expert</a> has said, underlining that India now must brace itself for a long-term space competition.

On March 27, India achieved a historic feat by shooting down its own low-orbit satellite with a ground-to-space missile, making the country a space power. The test made India the fourth country in the world after the US, Russia and China to have the ASAT capabilities.

Ashley J Tellis, Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on Tuesday said, The Indian ASAT test was in actuality a shot across the bow to China. As such, it will only exacerbate the rivalry with Beijing, even if only silently."

India, therefore, must brace itself for a long-term space competition. If it fails to do so, it will have to contend with the worst of both worlds: heightened threats from China in the face of increasing Indian vulnerability, he said.

"And that would be an unenviable position for New Delhi as it seeks to play a larger role on the global stage," the top American expert on India said, asserting that India now must brace itself for a long-term space competition.

China is developing its counter-space capabilities in response to the US, and New Delhi is now threatened by this Chinese programme, he said. India must improve its capacity to use space despite rising Chinese threats while sustaining its commitment to protecting space for civilian use, he added.

What India accordingly needs more than ever is effective antidotes to Chinese counter-space capabilities that are not debris-causing, Tellis said.

Only such capabilities will enable New Delhi to credibly deter Beijing's space denial programmes below the levels of ultimate physical violence directed at various space systems the grey zone in which more counter space activities are likely to materialise in the future, given the growing international antipathy to any actions that make space unusable for human endeavours, he said.

In this context, the best deterrent for New Delhi is to improve its capacity to use space despite the inevitable Chinese interference. There will always be a need for some offensive capabilities, Tellis said.

"India has recognised this reality and as such has begun to develop embryonic counter space systems of the sort exemplified by its ASAT interceptor," he noted, adding that New Delhi has also begun to plan more activities for military space operations, for now focusing mainly on ways to preserve India's freedom to use space for both developmental and strategic reasons without undue interference by others.

India's anti-satellite missile test carried out last month was clearly targeted towards China and could exacerbate New Delhi's rivalry with Beijing, a top US expert has said, underlining that India now must brace itself for a long-term space competition.

India's anti-satellite missile test carried out last month was clearly targeted towards China and could exacerbate New Delhi's rivalry with Beijing, a top US expert has said, underlining that India now must brace itself for a long-term space competition. On March 27, India achieved a historic feat by shooting down its own low-orbit satellite with a ground-to-space missile, making the country a space power. The test made India the fourth country in the world after the US, Russia and China to have the ASAT capabilities. Ashley J Tellis, Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on Tuesday said, The Indian ASAT test was in actuality a shot across the bow to China. As such, it will only exacerbate the rivalry with Beijing, even if only silently." India, therefore, must brace itself for a long-term space competition. If it fails to do so, it will have to contend with the worst of both worlds: heightened threats from China in the face of increasing Indian vulnerability, he said. "And that would be an unenviable position for New Delhi as it seeks to play a larger role on the global stage," the top American expert on India said, asserting that India now must brace itself for a long-term space competition. China is developing its counter-space capabilities in response to the US, and New Delhi is now threatened by this Chinese programme, he said. India must improve its capacity to use space despite rising Chinese threats while sustaining its commitment to protecting space for civilian use, he added. What India accordingly needs more than ever is effective antidotes to Chinese counter-space capabilities that are not debris-causing, Tellis said. Only such capabilities will enable New Delhi to credibly deter Beijing's space denial programmes below the levels of ultimate physical violence directed at various space systems the grey zone in which more counter space activities are likely to materialise in the future, given the growing international antipathy to any actions that make space unusable for human endeavours, he said. In this context, the best deterrent for New Delhi is to improve its capacity to use space despite the inevitable Chinese interference. There will always be a need for some offensive capabilities, Tellis said. "India has recognised this reality and as such has begun to develop embryonic counter space systems of the sort exemplified by its ASAT interceptor," he noted, adding that New Delhi has also begun to plan more activities for military space operations, for now focusing mainly on ways to preserve India's freedom to use space for both developmental and strategic reasons without undue interference by others.

ASAT test: India should prepare for a long-term space competition with China, says US expert 

India and China have a &quot;cold war-like&quot; relationship in the making but New Delhi is unlikely to join something framed as a US-led front to contain Beijing, a former American diplomat has said.

Alyssa Ayres, who served in the South and Central Asia Bureau of the State Department, made the remarks last week in New York during the launch of her latest book &#39;Our Time Has Come: How India is Making Its Place in the World&#39;.

&quot;It is a cold war-like relationship in the making. India and China have had a strong commercial relationship, but that is increasingly less satisfying for India, for many of the same reasons the United States is dissatisfied with its trade relationship with China,&quot; she said.

To a question on India-China ties, Ayres, currently a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, a top American think-tank, said that for a while the commercial relationship between the two countries had relegated their strategic competition to the backseat.

&quot;I think India (is) concerned about the increasingly larger presence that China is establishing across the Indian Ocean, with a base in Djibouti,&quot; she said.

She added that India may also be concerned over China&#39;s &quot;deep relationship&quot; with Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the investments it is making in the two countries.

Asked about the impression in the US that New Delhi is a &quot;good bet&quot; to contain Beijing, she said India is unlikely to be part of such an initiative. 
 
&quot;I think India is going to be highly unlikely to be enlisted in something framed as a US-led effort to contain China. That is not what India seeks to do. It seeks to defend its own interests. It seeks to uphold the liberal world order,&quot; Ayres said.

&quot;India has been a big supporter of global norms, of freedom of navigation. But it also partners with China in many arenas. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), India is the number two capital contributor,&quot; she noted.

The BRICS organisation went from being just an idea in a research paper to being a real institution, she said, adding India is very active with that and the five-nation grouping has created its own development bank.

&quot;India became a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. It&#39;s hedging its own bets as global governance reform lags on in the 20th-century institutions. And so where it has put some of its eggs in the new organisations basket, it has partnered with China on that front,&quot; Ayres said.

To another question, she said that there would be a measured response from India if there was a repeat of the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack. 
 
&quot;Based on what we saw with the surgical strikes of the previous year or the year before last, I would not expect a completely passive response. I would expect something measured, but much more active,&quot; she said.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

India and China have a 'cold war-like' relationship in the making but New Delhi is unlikely to join something framed as a US-led front to contain Beijing, the former American diplomat said

India and China have a "cold war-like" relationship in the making but New Delhi is unlikely to join something framed as a US-led front to contain Beijing, a former American diplomat has said. Alyssa Ayres, who served in the South and Central Asia Bureau of the State Department, made the remarks last week in New York during the launch of her latest book 'Our Time Has Come: How India is Making Its Place in the World'. "It is a cold war-like relationship in the making. India and China have had a strong commercial relationship, but that is increasingly less satisfying for India, for many of the same reasons the United States is dissatisfied with its trade relationship with China," she said. To a question on India-China ties, Ayres, currently a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, a top American think-tank, said that for a while the commercial relationship between the two countries had relegated their strategic competition to the backseat. "I think India (is) concerned about the increasingly larger presence that China is establishing across the Indian Ocean, with a base in Djibouti," she said. She added that India may also be concerned over China's "deep relationship" with Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the investments it is making in the two countries. Asked about the impression in the US that New Delhi is a "good bet" to contain Beijing, she said India is unlikely to be part of such an initiative. "I think India is going to be highly unlikely to be enlisted in something framed as a US-led effort to contain China. That is not what India seeks to do. It seeks to defend its own interests. It seeks to uphold the liberal world order," Ayres said. "India has been a big supporter of global norms, of freedom of navigation. But it also partners with China in many arenas. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), India is the number two capital contributor," she noted. The BRICS organisation went from being just an idea in a research paper to being a real institution, she said, adding India is very active with that and the five-nation grouping has created its own development bank. "India became a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. It's hedging its own bets as global governance reform lags on in the 20th-century institutions. And so where it has put some of its eggs in the new organisations basket, it has partnered with China on that front," Ayres said. To another question, she said that there would be a measured response from India if there was a repeat of the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack. "Based on what we saw with the surgical strikes of the previous year or the year before last, I would not expect a completely passive response. I would expect something measured, but much more active," she said.

'India-China relationship cold war-like in the making'

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ASAT test: India should prepare for a long-term space competition with China, says US expert

'India-China relationship cold war-like in the making'