IGCC Leads Strategic Training on China, Technology, and Security in India

For two days in late April 2026, the University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC), in partnership with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), conducted an executive training course in New Delhi titled “Geo-Strategic, National Security, and Technological Dimensions of China’s Rise as a Global Power and the Implications for India.” The program brought together participants from across India’s academic, government, military, industry, and research communities to examine China’s evolving techno-security ecosystem and the implications, both for India and for regional and global strategic competition.

Led by IGCC co-director and UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy professor Tai Ming Cheung, the course aimed to foster closer knowledge sharing on the international and security affairs of China between the U.S. and Indian policy and academic expert communities.

“Understanding China’s rise increasingly requires integrated perspectives on the interplay between geoeconomics, technology, and national security,” said Dr. Cheung. “There is a growing appetite in India for deeper engagement on the techno-security issues shaping the future strategic environment and IGCC is receiving more and more requests for this kind of in-depth training.”

The New Delhi course builds on IGCC’s long history as a center for academic and policy dialogue on international security and strategic affairs. In addition to recurring executive education programs on China’s defense, innovation, and strategic policy systems, which have been held most recently in Washington, D.C.; Rabat, Morocco; and La Jolla, California, IGCC regularly organizes initiatives such as the Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue, the Public Policy and Nuclear Threats program, and other Track 1.5 and Track 2 engagements domestically and internationally. These programs reflect IGCC’s mission to foster sustained exchange between scholars, policymakers, and practitioners.

Over the course of two days, Dr. Cheung led participants through sessions on China’s military-civil fusion strategy, innovation and industrial policy systems, efforts to modernize its defense apparatus, and approach to techno-security competition. India is navigating a complex geopolitical environment marked by intensifying competition with China on the one hand, and turbulence in its relationship with the United States, its largest trading partner, on the other. Recent efforts by New Delhi to expand domestic chip manufacturing, deepen AI partnerships with the United States and Europe, and strengthen defense cooperation in the Indo-Pacific reflect a broader strategy to reduce dependence on Chinese technology and counter Beijing’s growing influence.

Questions from participants reflected both the breadth and urgency of the discussions. Attendees raised issues ranging from semiconductors, AI, and maritime security to regional alliance dynamics, innovation systems, economic security, and the relationship between political control and technological development. Several participants emphasized the importance of understanding China not through a single disciplinary lens, but through broader frameworks capable of connecting technology, industrial policy, military modernization, governance, and strategic competition.

The discussions were highly interactive from the outset. Additional participants joined the course after hearing Dr. Cheung speak at Jawaharlal Nehru University and the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses the previous day, and sessions routinely extended beyond scheduled timelines due to sustained audience engagement and questioning. During one early discussion, participants were asked whether they were familiar with the concept of military-civil fusion; only a few raised their hands, underscoring both the specialized nature of the material and the knowledge gap that the training aims to bridge.

For many attendees, the course also highlighted the value of bringing together communities that do not often engage in sustained dialogue. A participant who previously worked in government and later with the United Nations reflected that policy environments often provide only snapshots of unfolding events, whereas academic and historical perspectives help explain the deeper institutional and strategic forces shaping long-term outcomes. Another participant noted that while India’s China-focused research ecosystem has expanded significantly over the past several decades, collaboration across sectors and disciplines remains a work in progress.

Participants also emphasized the urgency of these conversations for India’s techno-security future. As China continues advancing in areas such as emerging technology, industrial capacity, and strategic integration, Indian scholars and practitioners are increasingly grappling with questions surrounding talent development, technological dependence, defense industrial capacity, and national security planning. Several discussions explored how India can strengthen its technology and research systems while navigating a rapidly evolving regional security environment shaped by intensifying U.S.-China competition and ongoing tensions along the India-China border.

At the conclusion of the training, participants and organizers explored opportunities for continued engagement on technology, innovation, industrial policy, and national security. A strong consensus emerged that techno-security competition demands sustained international and cross-sector dialogue. IGCC’s goal is that the relationships and exchanges forged during the program were just the beginning of catalyzing new and lasting networks to address one of the defining strategic issues of the twenty-first century.

Learn more about IGCC’s upcoming professional training on Understanding China’s Science & Technology Ambitions, taking place June 17-18, 2026 in La Jolla, California.