Limitations on China’s Ability to Understand Indian Apprehensions about China’s Rise as a Naval Power

John Garver, a leading expert on Sino-Indian relations, focuses on China’s strategic blind spots in understanding the world around it. He explores the possibility that wide spread, deeply rooted and emotionally powerful Chinese beliefs about their country’s history make it difficult for Chinese to put themselves in their neighbour’s shoes and effectively reassure their neighbour’s deep apprehensions about China’s growing power. This cluster of Chinese beliefs is virtually central to China’s self-identity and render Chinese dismissive of Japanese and Indian fears of China’s growing power. Garver argues that if China is unable to understand, emphasize and respond in adequately reassuring ways to its neighbour’s fears over China’s growing power the probable result is likely to be the formation of a coalition of China’s neighbours seeking collective security against China.