What the China-India detente means for the West
The Asian giants are learning to live with each other
The hope that India might act as a pro-Western counterweight to China has become a cornerstone of American foreign policy. It is a bet on India’s future capability and geopolitical posture that was clearly articulated after a visit to Delhi by Bill Clinton in 2000. Every subsequent president, two Democrats and two Republicans, has doubled down on it. Hence Narendra Modi’s latest love-fest in Washington last month. Amid bilateral protestations of undying friendship, the Indian prime minister pocketed the sort of defence technology deals that America usually reserves for close allies.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “A Himalayan thaw”
From the July 22nd 2023 edition
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