Geopolitical Trap to India and China in Indo-Pacific

The recent joint military air exercise of Japan and US conducted on 10 Dec 2025 in response to the Russia-China joint air exercise and radar locking of Japanese fighter jets by China has increased the geopolitical tension in Pacific. The China-Taiwan crisis and territorial disputes among the nations in South China Sea has magnified the ticking of Doomsday clock. The core objective of the study is to identify the geopolitical tension between US, China and India based on recent global and regional security and political dynamism in Indo-Pacific region. The study is particularly based on secondary data retrieved from various news sites. Using descriptive and analytical design, the paper finds the geopolitical trap spread for China and India in Indo-Pacific. It also examines the extension of geopolitical tensions from Indo-Pacific to North East India and along Himalayas including Nepal in great geopolitical game of big powers. The paper finds a hidden geopolitical trap to India inside the geopolitical trap designed to China in the present global and regional political buildups. It suggests India and China to build cooperative diplomatic relationship for the future of Asia.