Adversary and Ally: How China Shapes the Frontier Politics of India and Pakistan
In recent years, China has played an increasingly significant role in international affairs, wielding its economic and political strength to solidify its position as a global power. Within its immediate neighborhood, however, Chinese influence is not new. Chinese actions have affected how the Indian and Pakistani states have perceived and responded to domestic governance and security challenges since the early days of independence.

Connecting international politics with domestic security, Harrison Akins shows how India and Pakistan’s engagement with China has shaped the two governments’ policies toward their strategic frontiers over the past seventy years. He focuses on northeastern India and Pakistan’s Balochistan Province, peripheries that have been at the center of both countries’ relationships with China and that continue to present pressing security and development challenges. In contrast to the conventional focus on state-to-state relations, Akins emphasizes frontiers and their ties to central governments. He demonstrates that China’s presence spurred the Indian and Pakistani governments to assert their sovereignty over these border regions, exacerbating conditions that led to the outbreak of antistate violence. Featuring comprehensive research and keen analysis, Adversary and Ally offers new insights into the pressures confronting South Asian governments and the limits of China’s reach.
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Adversary and Ally: How China Shapes the Frontier Politics of India and Pakistan
In recent years, China has played an increasingly significant role in international affairs, wielding its economic and political strength to solidify its position as a global power. Within its immediate neighborhood, however, Chinese influence is not new. Chinese actions have affected how the Indian and Pakistani states have perceived and responded to domestic governance and security challenges since the early days of independence.

Connecting international politics with domestic security, Harrison Akins shows how India and Pakistan’s engagement with China has shaped the two governments’ policies toward their strategic frontiers over the past seventy years. He focuses on northeastern India and Pakistan’s Balochistan Province, peripheries that have been at the center of both countries’ relationships with China and that continue to present pressing security and development challenges. In contrast to the conventional focus on state-to-state relations, Akins emphasizes frontiers and their ties to central governments. He demonstrates that China’s presence spurred the Indian and Pakistani governments to assert their sovereignty over these border regions, exacerbating conditions that led to the outbreak of antistate violence. Featuring comprehensive research and keen analysis, Adversary and Ally offers new insights into the pressures confronting South Asian governments and the limits of China’s reach.
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Adversary and Ally: How China Shapes the Frontier Politics of India and Pakistan

Adversary and Ally: How China Shapes the Frontier Politics of India and Pakistan

by Harrison Akins
Adversary and Ally: How China Shapes the Frontier Politics of India and Pakistan

Adversary and Ally: How China Shapes the Frontier Politics of India and Pakistan

by Harrison Akins

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Overview

In recent years, China has played an increasingly significant role in international affairs, wielding its economic and political strength to solidify its position as a global power. Within its immediate neighborhood, however, Chinese influence is not new. Chinese actions have affected how the Indian and Pakistani states have perceived and responded to domestic governance and security challenges since the early days of independence.

Connecting international politics with domestic security, Harrison Akins shows how India and Pakistan’s engagement with China has shaped the two governments’ policies toward their strategic frontiers over the past seventy years. He focuses on northeastern India and Pakistan’s Balochistan Province, peripheries that have been at the center of both countries’ relationships with China and that continue to present pressing security and development challenges. In contrast to the conventional focus on state-to-state relations, Akins emphasizes frontiers and their ties to central governments. He demonstrates that China’s presence spurred the Indian and Pakistani governments to assert their sovereignty over these border regions, exacerbating conditions that led to the outbreak of antistate violence. Featuring comprehensive research and keen analysis, Adversary and Ally offers new insights into the pressures confronting South Asian governments and the limits of China’s reach.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780231221818
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication date: 02/24/2026
Pages: 312
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Harrison Akins is a political scientist and writer who holds a PhD from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. For more than a decade, he has been researching, writing, and advising on South Asian politics and US foreign policy in both academia and government. His books include The Terrorism Trap: How the War on Terror Escalates Violence in America’s Partner States (Columbia, 2023).

Table of Contents

Note on Sourcing
List of Abbreviations
1. Adversary and Ally
Part I. The Adversary
2. “Another Great Game”: India Versus China
3. The China-India War and the Northeastern Insurgencies
Part II. The Ally
4. “All-Weather Allies”: Pakistan and China
5. CPEC and the Baloch Insurgency
Conclusion
Acknowledgements
Notes
Bibliography
Index
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