Will India and Asean counterbalance China?
This week’s summit in New Delhi brings together an age-old coalition that goes back to the Tamil Chulia Indian diaspora in Malaysia, and could serve to keep economic and geopolitical parity in Asia
As China continues its inexorable rise, global strategists are increasingly looking – anxiously – to India. Why?
Many are hoping that India, with its huge population and roaring gross domestic product (GDP) growth, is likely to become a competitor to its northern neighbour.
Nonetheless, the meeting is significant, because for Southeast Asia, India is important.
Our region has long enjoyed extensive cultural, religious and trading relations with the entire subcontinent. Cities such as Georgetown, Yangon, Jakarta and Singapore have been deeply influenced by the many millions of sojourners who have crossed the Bay of Bengal over the centuries.