Modi’s India more assertive now, praises China

It is a surprise – and a pleasant one at that. In a rare commendation of India’s growing potential, China’s Global Times acknowledged India’s economic progress and improved international relations under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.

The timing of the article is interesting. India is to face Lok Sabha elections in about 100 days from now and the Global Times, run under the auspices of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) flagship newspaper, the People’s Daily, comes out with an article highlighting the “remarkable achievements of India.” The article penned by Zhang Jiadong, the Director of Centre for South Asian Studies at Fudan University, Shanghai, lists out India’s remarkable achievements over the past four years.

The article acknowledges India’s robust economic growth, improvements in urban governance, and a shift in attitude towards international relations, notably with China. For example, when discussing the trade imbalance between China and India, Indian representatives earlier used to primarily focus on China’s measures to reduce the trade imbalance. But now they are placing more emphasis on India’s export potential.

India, the article said, has become more strategically confident and proactive in creating and developing a “Bharat narrative.” The CCP mouthpiece praised India’s significant strides in the spheres of economic, social governance and foreign policy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It also felt that India had made significant strides in social governance and foreign policy under the leadership of Narendra Modi. One of the examples it quoted in support of its analysis is trade imbalance between the two countries. It said India placing more emphasis on its export potential is a paradigm shift.

China interestingly also appreciated India’s proactive approach in fostering a “Bharat narrative,” emphasizing the nation’s strategic confidence. “In the political and cultural spheres, India has moved from emphasising its democratic consensus with the West to highlighting the ‘Indian feature’ of democratic politics. Currently, there is even more emphasis on the Indian origins of democratic politics.” This shift, the article feels, reflects India’s ambition to escape its historical colonial shadow and position itself as a global influencer, politically and culturally.

Furthermore, the article lauds India’s foreign policy strategy under Prime Minister Modi, highlighting the nation’s multi-alignment approach and bolstering ties with major global powers like the US, Japan, and Russia while displaying a nuanced stance in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The article notes that India’s strategic thinking in foreign policy has undergone another change and is clearly moving toward a great power strategy. “Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed power, he has advocated for a multi-alignment strategy, promoting India’s relations with the US, Japan, Russia and other countries and regional organizations,” says Professor Zhang.

The article notes that India has always considered itself a world power. However, it has only been less than 10 years since India shifted from multi-balancing to multi-alignment, and now it is rapidly transforming toward a strategy of becoming a pole in the multipolar world. The author says, “It appears that a transformed, stronger, and more assertive India has become a new geopolitical factor that many countries need to consider.”

This rare acknowledgement of India’s advancements and Prime Minister Modi’s strategic vision by Global Times signifies the growing recognition of I

ndia’s burgeoning global influence and the implications of its assertive posture on the international landscape. It is a good augury and one only wishes China becomes more positive towards the fastest-growing nation. PM must be commended for India winning praise even from a rival.