Background

In recent years, China has played a growing role in South Asia and has been exerting new kinds of economic, political, and even military influence. What are the political consequences of China's growing role as a regional actor in India?

As part of a continuing series of virtual roundtables on Democracy and Indian Foreign Policy, ORF America and ORF hosted a closed-door discussion under Chatham House rules on China’s influence in South Asia featuring discussants and participants from India, Nepal and the U.S.

The discussion featured themes such as the widening nature of China’s economic influence, its growing engagement with South Asian political parties and other structural factors underlying China’s outreach to South Asian countries including Sri Lanka, Nepal and Maldives. The participants also highlighted India’s advantages when it comes to cultural and social links, capacity building, and higher education ties with its neighboring countries. The discussion concluded with suggestions for India to strengthen the region’s economic and political resilience, establish stronger party-to-party ties, strengthen civil society (judiciary, students, media, etc.) and coordinate with other like-minded democracies.

Featuring

• Nilanthi Samaranayake, Director, Strategy and Policy Analysis Program, Center for Naval Analyses

• Asanga Abeyagoonasekera, Strategic Advisor on Security and Senior Fellow, The Millenium Project Washington D.C. 

• Nishchal Pandey, Director, Center for South Asian Studies Nepal

• Deep Pal, Visiting Scholar Asia Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

To know more about the Democracy and Indian Foreign Policy series, check out ORF America’s Special Report No. 1 Democracy in Indian Foreign Policy.