For Delhi, new Xiopolitics

Two years ago, the Galwan valley clash came amid a period of intense Chinese People’s Liberation Army activity across different theatres. In March 2020, as WHO declared Covid a global pandemic, Chinese jets intensified drills along the Taiwan Strait. The Liaoning carrier conducted take-off and landing exercises in the Bohai Strait and would later sail past Taiwan. The PLA Daily hailed the drills, boasting about war preparedness amid the pandemic.