India’s Security Protectionism and China

　　ABSTRACT: The concept of trade protectionism is commonly referenced by economists, while that of security protectionism is considered much less often, despite the fact that it can have an even greater impact on trade and commerce between states. While there is a strong relationship between trade protectionism and security protectionism, a distinction is drawn between the two. Trade protectionism tends to be broad, to have unclear objectives, and to be defined in the abstract, while security protectionism is precisely the opposite. The concept might be defined as trade restrictions placed on one country by another based on security considerations or objectives. Security protectionism impacts the development of relations between China and India in three critical areas: the development of overland infrastructure, the development of port infrastructure, and the development of communications infrastructure. This paper provides a basis for consideration of this concept and offers a number of cases of security protectionism to help China and India understand the concept and its practical consequences.