India’s Operation Sindoor was no ordinary military action. It was a declaration of India’s new doctrine to fight terrorism and its state sponsors, and was announced by no less than Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself.

The doctrine involves three salient pillars: First, India will take decisive measures to eliminate the sources of terrorism, holding both the attackers and those who support them accountable. Second, India will not yield to nuclear intimidation or “blackmail". The doctrine makes it clear that any effort to use nuclear threats as a cover for terrorism will be countered with swift and targeted action. And third, India will hold terrorists and their backers equally responsible. The doctrine clearly states that anyone who shelters, funds, or supports terrorism will face the same repercussions as the attackers themselves.

Effectively, India proclaimed before the world that any future terror attack will invite a disproportionate response that will crush Pakistan. Needless to say, this has irked many global powers. China, which has a stated policy of encircling India in order to contain it, has made some interesting manoeuvres since Operation Sindoor. Almost immediately, for example, it had invited the foreign ministers of Pakistan and Afghanistan to Beijing.

China’s Response: Building an Axis of Convenience

More recently, on June 19, China launched its latest trilateral initiative with Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The meeting took place in Kunming, the capital of China’s southern Yunnan province, and was attended by China’s vice foreign minister Sun Weidong, Bangladesh’s acting foreign secretary Ruhul Alam Siddique, and........

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