China–India Strains: Whither the BRICS?

This chapter will unpack the significance of India and China within the BRICS and then delve into the history of the relationship between these two major countries prior to giving an account of some of the ongoing issues and potential flashpoints in the relationship—including boundary disputes, the ongoing tightening of alliances with one another’s rivals, and disparate visions of the world order—and show how it could be argued that they may threaten the bilateral relationship and therefore the BRICS group of which the two countries are so elemental. The chapter details, however, some of the unwritten mechanisms and rules which render the prospects of an open conflict unlikely, despite the key bones of contention between the two regional giants.