As a fellow Quad member to counter the threat of China to the Indio/Pacific region, India sits in a highly strategic position in central Asia. The vast Indian Ocean is a major trade route linking the Middle Middle East to South Asia through the choke points of Indonesia and Malaysia. If conflict with China was to break out, India would hold a decisive role in containing Chinese merchant shipping to create a naval blockade of the Chinese mainland.

It would be an unlikely proposition for a nation to want to invade China, the strategy would more than likely be a naval blockade of Chinese shipping to strangle the Chinese economy. This is where the Indian navy has the ability to control passage through the Indian Ocean. The choke points of the Strait of Malacca, Lomkok Strait and Suunda Strait pretty much restrict Chinese supply.

Yes, the CCP has sought to control the South China Sea, a large volume of international shipping transits this region, but if access is restricted, then critical access to Chinese industry is strangled and the Chinese economy collapses. India is a critical member of the Quad, their denial of Chinese shipping is the decisive factor controlling the containment of China.

There is a chance China would launch long-range bombers to target Indian naval and merchant shipping in the Indian Ocean. I would expect the Indian Air Force to provide protection for their surface ships as they have an aircraft carrier, I am yet to determine if they employ battle groups, then they have an air warfare defence capability.

I suspect much of the action in a conflict with China will focus on the first island chain and the necessity to contain the Chinese navy within these confines. The Chinese navy dominates regional forces taking a heavy handed approach to regional forces, this will change with a peer-to-peer adversary. It is likely an international alliance will provide both expertise and assets to a conflict with China so it is likely a taskforce would be the real adversary.

China on the other hand does not have the international ## to develop a functional alliance to counter a US led alliance. China has a relationship with Russia; however, China is no longer the junior partner. With the Russian disaster in Ukraine, Russia has destroyed their military capability and is no longer a useful partner. Indeed, the CCP may seek to influence the central Asian nations and wrest control away from Russian influence. First, China will need to atone for their suppression of the Uigher minority in western China.

In a regional sense, North Korea would seek to contain South Korea; as such, South Korea is joined to China and well within reach of Chinese missiles. This would also contain the US bases in South Korea, they are also under threat of attack. The threat of conflict between North and South Korea has the potential to be devastating for both nations, South Korea is within striking distance of Chinese missiles, a missile defence system could prevent Chinese missile attacks but would do nothing to stop North Korean artillery.

Iran is likely to support China, mostly for their disdain for the US, not really shared values. Iran has a strong cyber capability that may support Chinese interests. Iranian drone technology is relatively unsophisticated, but the possibility to swarm US systems could overwhelm defences through sheer numbers cannot be underestimated. Whilst western technology is undoubtedly more advanced, there is a case for a large number of low-grade weapons that could tie up expensive defensive weapons to deplete defences.