2024, the year India defeated China's salami-slicing strategy
China Sea to Himalayan frontiers, Beijing’s methodical approach has left neighbouring countries scrambling to respond. China shares its border with more than a dozen countries and it has had border disputes with at least six of them over the past few years. On its border disputes with its neighbors, China has mostly gone unchallenged, gradually pushing its salami-slicing strategy forward. But 2024 was a turning point: India was the first country in past few decades to decisively stop China in its tracks and refuse to yield to its tried-and-tested game. India’s resistance proved to be a firm message that China’s expansionist ambitions can't always go unchecked.
China’s Unchecked March: A History of Dominance
China’s history of border disputes is a study in opportunism. China has locked horns with no fewer than six of its neighbours, from Japan over islands in the East China Sea, down to Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines in the South China Sea. From the construction of artificial islands to weaponizing of trade, leveraging economic dependence, it has often found a way to dominate.
Land borders have been no exception. Bhutan, Nepal and even Russia have experienced China’s salami-slicing techniques, where small, seemingly inconsequential incursions are used to cement broader territorial claims. Most nations either lack the resources or political will to counter these moves effectively. But where others hesitated, India chose to fight back.
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