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Can shared relief efforts by India and China overcome deep-rooted distrust?
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In the aftermath of a devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake that claimed the lives of several across Thailand and Myanmar, neighbouring powers such as China and India have become increasingly significant in providing humanitarian assistance and relief efforts.. While fatalities have reached 19 in Thailand, Myanmar is facing a dire humanitarian catastrophe with the earthquake's epicentre being close to Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city. Over 2,000 people have died so far, hundreds are still unaccounted for, and many require basic amenities urgently/crucially, in a country where 19.9 million people were already in need of humanitarian assistance even before the 28 March 2025 earthquake. Widespread infrastructural damage has rendered several homes uninhabitable, displacing a huge portion of the population. Essential services like electricity and drinking water remain disrupted, and damage to communication towers, roads and health facilities has made it difficult for emergency response to reach displaced people. Overwhelmed by a lack of necessary resources and severely affected critical infrastructure, it is estimated that the death toll can rise to 10,000 and property losses can exceed Myanmar's annual economic production. The situation demands immediate and sustained international humanitarian assistance; a call that was first answered by China when it deployed its emergency response system to the affected regions. India became the second country to extend support through Operation Brahma to provide crucial relief materials to those in need. Search and rescue operations by 25 teams and 13 countries are currently underway. Against this backdrop, this essay aims to explore the possibilities and larger implications of India-China cooperation in disaster relief, pointing to the avenues that may lie therein.
Overwhelmed by a lack of necessary resources and severely affected critical infrastructure, it is estimated that the death toll can rise to 10,000 and property losses can exceed Myanmar's annual economic production.
As part of its Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operation, China sent the first batch of disaster-relief material, including tents, blankets, and first aid kits. A total of 91 personnel from five civilian emergency response forces under China's Ministry of Emergency Management and a 15-member group of the Chinese Red Cross International Emergency Response Team are currently involved in rescue operations and relief efforts. Further strengthening its support, the Chinese government sent US$ 13.9 million in emergency humanitarian aid following a formal request from Myanmar. Additional tonnes of relief supplies were further contributed by China’s Yunnan province. This timely and effective response can be traced to the robust mechanism that China has developed in recent years. In this context, it is interesting to note some cases of China’s HADR involvement in South and Southeast Asia in the last decade (Table 1).
Table 1. China’s HADR Initiatives in the Last Decade
Source: Compiled by the authors
On 29 March 2025, under Operation Brahma, India sent 15 tonnes of essential clothing, drinking water, food, medicines, and emergency stores to Myanmar. Following this, two aircraft reached Myanmar on 30 March carrying 80 Search and Rescue (SAR) specialists, equipment, and further relief. Subsequently, the Indian Army Field Hospital Team, consisting of 118 personnel, reached Myanmar with 60 tonnes of water, sanitation, hygiene utilities, and other assistance for women and children. Further air transport and two naval ships brought in heavy supplies. India remains poised to dispatch additional aid under its ‘First Responder’ commitment and Neighbourhood First policy, in times of natural disasters, though in this case, India was the second country to extend assistance to Myanmar. The delay can be attributed to the fact that such relief efforts require inter-agency collaboration, including the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, and Indian Navy. Moreover, any assistance should be extended only after a formal request is made by the affected country, following which the Indian government can determine its course of action. The status of being a ‘first responder’ emanates from India’s conduct of a proactive disaster relief diplomacy and its experiences and insights, gained over decades of active engagement, rather than the promptness of the response. Alongside, India has been the first to dispatch humanitarian assistance in quite a few cases of South and Southeast Asia, building a reputation with a credible, sustained, and holistic role in relief operations.
Table 2. India’s HADR initiatives in the past decade
| Year | Disaster | Impact | India’s HADR efforts |
| 2014 | Male Water Crisis (Maldives) | Severe drinking water crisis | Operation Neer - India was the first responder and in total, sent more than 2,375 tonnes of drinking water via air and later two ships. |
| 2015 | Nepal Earthquake | 8,000+ deaths, 2.8 million people displaced, up to US$10 billion in losses. | Operation Maitri - The Indian Air Force flew in the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) within less than six hours of the earthquake. 32 flights with 520 tonnes of relief reached Nepal over the next couple of days, with more than 50 medical, engineering, and rescue operation teams. |
| 2017 | Cyclone Mora (Sri Lanka and Bangladesh) | Sri Lanka: At least 212 people died; nearly 22,000 people were displaced. Bangladesh: Displaced 500,000 people. | It was the first country to assist Sri Lanka in the form of relief goods and rescue teams. In Bangladesh, 33 fishermen were rescued by the Indian Navy. |
| 2018 | Indonesia Earthquake & Tsunami | 4,400+ people dead, approximately 170,000 people displaced, US$1.3 billion in economic losses. | Operation Samudra Maitri - Two Indian Air Force aircraft and three naval ships carried medical personnel and relief material to Indonesia. |
| 2023 | Cyclone Mocha (Myanmar) | At least 145 people died; US$2.24 billion estimated in damages. | Operation Karuna - Sent four ships to deliver relief materials along with portable containerised medical facilities, medications, and a team of medical officers and nurses. |
Source: Compiled by the authors
Given the experience both India and China have in HADR, a potential area of cooperation lies in conducting disaster relief operations in South and Southeast Asia. In 2016, the Udaipur Declaration was adopted after a two-day meeting of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) Ministers on Disaster Management, leading to the creation of a Joint Task Force (JTF) on Disaster Risk Management. Under this declaration, the BRICS nations, including India and China, agreed to regular dialogue, exchange and collaboration. Furthermore, in 2022, the BRICS nations pledged to further improve communication and collaborate on national strategic plans and standards dealing with the prevention and mitigation of disaster risk. This commitment was made during the third meeting of BRICS Ministers for Disaster Management, hosted by China's Ministry of Emergency Management. Despite such multilateral developments, more focused bilateral approaches between India and China remain limited. Border tensions and competing strategic interests hinder seamless cooperation. However, HADR operations in the aftermath of the 2015 Nepal Earthquake demonstrated a shared commitment of both countries towards regional stability and humanitarian assistance. Although both conducted their respective independent operations, on-ground communication between the two, through Nepali officials and the Chinese Embassy in India, shed light on the likelihood of collaborative endeavours concerning disaster response in the future.
The BRICS nations pledged to further improve communication and collaborate on national strategic plans and standards dealing with the prevention and mitigation of disaster risk.
At a time when the efficiency of the once celebrated United States (US) Agency for International Development has been called to question in light of massive layoffs under the Trump administration, India-China collaboration is crucial not only for humanitarian reasons but also for what this cooperation can mean for their respective strategic interests in South and Southeaast Asia.
What stands as a challenge to successful India-China collaboration in HADR is the lack of trust that limits the willingness to share sensitive information related to logistics and military-led operations. Additionally, the intersection of India’s Act East Policy and China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) can at times lead to parallel efforts rather than coordinated action, with both countries seeking to contribute through their strategic approach. Further, the absence of standard operating procedures makes it difficult to coordinate operations since both India and China lack a formal framework for HADR cooperation. Against these challenges, joint military exercises, including disaster relief training and annual dialogue between India’s NDRF and China’s Ministry of Emergency Management, the respective disaster management agencies, can function as effective mechanisms to promote trust-building. Multilateral engagement through platforms, such as ASEAN’s (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus and the Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response, can play a significant role. Both India and China have previously engaged with Southeast Asia through these mechanisms, employing independent efforts.
The intersection of India’s Act East Policy and China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) can at times lead to parallel efforts rather than coordinated action, with both countries seeking to contribute through their strategic approach.
Collaboration and joint initiatives in HADR will not only allow for a more efficient and effective response but also enhance their reputation in a region vulnerable to natural disasters. Moreover, it provides India and China with a platform to show solidarity in regional forums, which is conducive to building diplomatic influence and commitment to humanitarian ideals. Such collaboration augurs well for their international image and relations with other countries. India-China collaboration in HADR can set a model for regional cooperation and inspire other countries in the region to develop similar multilateral approaches to disaster management and build a cooperative spirit toward transnational challenges.
Anasua Basu Ray Chaudhury is a Senior Fellow in Neighbourhood Initiative at Observer Research Foundation.
Sreedipta Roy is an Intern at Observer Research Foundation.
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Anasua Basu Ray Chaudhury is Senior Fellow with ORF’s Neighbourhood Initiative. She is the Editor, ORF Bangla. She specialises in regional and sub-regional cooperation in ...
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