China's Reactions to the India Deal: Implications for the United States

Abstract

The current Bush administration's nuclear policy towards India is a major departure from what had been the course of U.S. foreign policy for the last three decades. It also is controversial because the United States is agreeing to recognize India as a nuclear power even though India is not a signatory to the 1968 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). The primary purpose of this thesis is to assess China's reactions to the U.S.-India nuclear deal and the implications of these reactions for the United States. According to the Hyde Act of December 2006 (also known as the "India deal" or the "U.S.-India nuclear deal"), the United States agrees to acknowledge India as a globally responsible possessor of nuclear weapons. In return, India agrees to "assume the same responsibility and practices" as if it were a NPT state, separate its civilian and military nuclear facilities, place two-thirds of its current civilian reactors (14 out of 22) under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspection and keep the remaining for military use, and extend its moratorium on nuclear testing. The thesis also attempts to answer the following subordinate questions: (1) What was the state of Sino-Indian relations before 9/11?; (2) What is Washington's view of Sino-Indian relations prior to 9/11?; (3) What are China's perceptions of the U.S.-India nuclear deal?; (4) How will China react to the U.S.-India nuclear deal?; and (5) What are the implications of China's reactions for the United States? Topics include Sino-Indian rivalry, with a focus on the 1962 Sino-Indian War and the 1998 Indian nuclear test; the four areas of U.S.-India strategic cooperation -- security, high-technology trade, space, and nuclear cooperation -- with an emphasis on nuclear cooperation; and reactions from Pakistan, India's archrival since their independence.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2007
Accession Number
ADA476069

Entities

People

  • Sherry W. Wangwhite

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Arms Control
  • Foreign Relations
  • Geography
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • Military Science
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Nuclear Energy
  • Political Science
  • Social Sciences
  • Sociopolitics
  • Treaties
  • War Colleges
  • Warning Systems

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation and International Security
  • Strategic Security Studies

Technology Areas

  • Space