Over the last year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s China policy has revealed the continuation of India’s asymmetric strategies—seeking to build multiple alignments while remaining grounded in strategic autonomy. India has no qualms about acting as China’s junior partner—and accepting China’s help in reviving its manufacturing sector—in order to ensure its unhindered rise. India also intends to gradually participate in China’s Silk Road network by linking with it India’s Spice Route and Project Mausam. But even as it seeks this dialogue and partnership with China, India continues to build a stronger partnership with the United States. Swaran Singh discussed the perils of walking this tightrope, and Carnegie’s Frederic Grare moderated.

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh is professor and chair of the Centre for International Politics, Organization, and Disarmamentm Jawaharlal Nehru University’s School of International Studies and visiting professor at Yunnan University of Economics and Finance (China).

Frederic Grare

Frederic Grare is senior associate and director of Carnegie’s South Asia Program. He works on India’s Look East policy, on Afghanistan and Pakistan’s regional policies, and on the tension between stability and democratization, including civil-military relations, in Pakistan.