India Trails Behind China In Military Power, But Overshadows Beijing On Another Vital Front
The Asia Power Index 2020 ranked India as the fourth most powerful country in Asia, trailing after the US, China and Japan. According to Lowy Institute, a Sydney based independent think tank that is behind the Asia Power Index, China and the US are termed as “superpowers” while India stands as a “middle power.”
In the study, the Index ranks a total of 26 countries based on factors including economic capability, military capability, resilience, diplomatic influence and cultural influence.
According to the Index, while India’s overall score declined by 1.3 points compared to 2019, New Delhi saw its diplomatic influence ranking improve by two places, overtaking South Korea and Russia, “despite a loss of points due to the poor international perception of its handling of the pandemic.”
However, New Delhi is up by one place in defence networks due to increased cooperation through the Quadrilateral grouping that includes – India, the US, Australia and Japan.
On the other hand, China’s economic clout continues to grow in India’s near abroad — including in Nepal where Beijing has displaced New Delhi as the primary foreign investor.
With India and China involved in a border conflict, tensions have soared between the nuclear-armed neighbours despite continuous efforts to disengage.
“The report stated that India will only reach 40 percent of China’s economic output by 2030 – down from the 50 percent forecast in the 2019 Asia Power Index. The report also said India’s rise as a superpower “will be a multi-decade effort” if it ever happens,”
Report indicate the “power gap” between India and China, that this prediction is against what some “Western media outlets” have said claiming India as a rising power that can be equated with China.
Source: EurAsian Times
Article edited by Shantanu K. Bansal
