BEIJING — When Chinese troops provoked a standoff with Indian forces on a disputed border high in the Himalayas just before President Xi Jinping of China arrived in India last year, a pall fell over what was supposed to be a landmark visit.
That episode, emblematic of China’s recent aggressiveness in the region, recurred in the minds of some Chinese analysts over the past few days, as China observed the warmth between President Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India during Mr. Obama’s visit to New Delhi.
At the time of Mr. Xi’s trip in September, the Ministry of National Defense in Beijing sheepishly conceded that a Chinese incursion into Indian territory had probably occurred, and people here know that the troop movement, though small in the scheme of things, emboldened Mr. Modi to warn Mr. Xi about China’s expansionist tendencies.
There were no such lectures between Mr. Modi and Mr. Obama.
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For China, the biggest long-term worry about the developing relationship between New Delhi and Washington may be the advanced military technology that the United States will probably sell to India in the future, said Mr. Wu of the Center for American Studies.
At the moment, Mr. Wu said, “We don’t view India as a major threat.” But that could change with more American military sales to India.
“That will touch China’s security nerve,” he said. “The more advanced Indian capability will increase the pressure on China.”
