Miller Publishes Article on China-India Counterbalancing
Manjari Chatterjee Miller, Associate Professor of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, published an article in Hindustan Times discussing India’s rise in global power and its ability to serves as a counterweight to China. This is the third of Miller’s monthly columns in Hindustan Times.
In the article, titled, “India will have to make hard choices,” Miller discusses the idea of global counterbalancing, how superpowers like the United States are looking to align with like-minded allies to counter the rise of China, and the role India might play in this situation.
While the U.S. sees India as a country akin to itself, and thus an ally, Miller points out that Indian leaders have expressed reluctance to become a U.S. geopolitical tool against China. They see a need for equilibrium and understanding rather than counterbalancing. Miller argues that whatever role India chooses to assume in the region, it will not come easy or please everyone.
An excerpt:
While the US’ capabilities and influence still outstrip China’s — simply put, it is a superpower and China is not (yet) — it is important for it to find allies with a common cause to counter China’s rise. Thus, when it comes to counterbalancing, particularly in Asia, the US thinks of India…
What it expects is for India to undertake a number of significant actions that will cement its role as a counterbalancer…But it expects not simply a strategic partnership but one that is implicitly and, perhaps even explicitly, anti-China.
The full article can be read here.
Manjari Chatterjee Miller is Associate Professor of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. She works on foreign policy and security issues with a focus on South and East Asia. Her most recent book, Routledge Handbook of China–India Relations (Routledge & CRC Press, 2020), is the comprehensive guide to the Chinese-Indian relationship covering expansive ideas ranging from the historical relationship to current disputes to AI. Learn more about her here.