As China-India border dispute continues, New Delhi scrambles to shore up South Asia influence

Since the beginning of August, PM Narendra Modi has reached out to Nepal and Sri Lanka and offered support to both Bangladesh and the Maldives

A weeklong US-India summit begins on Monday and will feature US Vice-President Mike Pence and India’s External Affairs Minister S.Jaishankar

Reading Time:4 minutes

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi pictured during a ceremony to celebrate India's Independence Day earlier this month. Photo: AFP

Published: 4:30pm, 30 Aug 2020Updated: 6:51pm, 12 Nov 2020

India has embarked on a hectic programme of outreach over the past month in an effort to re-engage its neighbours in South Asia, as Beijing’s growing influence in the region amid rising political tensions between the pair fuels discomfort in New Delhi.

Since the start of August, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been in touch with his counterparts in Nepal and Sri Lanka, dispatched his foreign secretary to Bangladesh with a “special message” of support, and instructed his external affairs minister to announce a US$500 million financial aid package for the Maldives.

This flurry of activity is set to be capped off by a high-level weeklong US-India summit, beginning on Monday. Organised by a non-profit group known as the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, the event will feature speeches by US Vice-President Mike Pence, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and other senior officials, including Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat, who is the main military adviser to Modi’s government.

While the forum’s discussion topics are focused on economic issues, Chinese expansionism is sure to be high on the agenda, said observers.

Both Washington and New Delhi are increasingly concerned about “a congruence of threat perceptions” when it comes to China, according to Navtej Sarna, a former Indian ambassador to the US.

A Chinese missile frigate launches an anti-ship missile during a military drill in the South China Sea in July. Photo: Xinhua via AP