The first Indian casualties since 1975 on the disputed India-China boundary changes many things for Indian policymakers as well as for scholars and observers of China. No longer can we rely on good sense, the weather or dumb luck to eventually help resolve border standoffs 1/n

It calls for greater attention to China in India from all walks of life in order to support good analysis and appropriate policies. As responsible as governments in power are for missteps and failures of policies, so also are opposition politicians and and the general public 2/n

who do not ask the right questions or demand timely information and answers. In the past few weeks, the govt has let competing narratives on the state of affairs at the LAC play out through individual journalists and media channels rather than provide timely, truthful 3/n

and unambiguous information through its official spokespersons. The consequences are now for everyone to see. Debating Chinese intentions has its place but important as it is, has also often distracted from what the Indian govt must do to fix things that can be fixed at home 4/n

In this new piece, I therefore, focus not so much on China as on how India needs to rewire its approaches at home in order to get the smartest and best approaches going on China. 5/n https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/reorienting-indias-china-policy-towards-greater-transparency-67996/?amp