Source: The post “The new direction for India should be toward Asia” has been created, based on “The new direction for India should be toward Asia” published in “The Hindu” on 22 November 2025. The new direction for India should be toward Asia.
UPSC Syllabus: GS Paper 3- Indian Economy and issues relating to Planning, Mobilization of Resources, Growth, Development and Employment.
Context: India’s foreign policy is undergoing a significant transformation as global power shifts toward Asia and India rises as a major economy. The United States is recalibrating global multilateralism, China is expanding influence, and Russia remains a long-standing partner. In this evolving landscape, India faces strategic choices that require clarity, autonomy, and long-term vision.
Why Asia Should Be the New Strategic Direction for India
1. Asia’s Growing Centrality in Global Power: The “G2” optics at the 2025 Busan Summit, with a confident China and an uneasy United States, highlight that geopolitical gravity is shifting toward Asia. Asia now holds two-thirds of the global population and wealth, re-establishing itself as the world’s strategic and economic centre.
2. Economic Scale and Market Potential: Asia’s market is projected to surpass that of the U.S.A, offering India larger economic opportunities. Unlike Western alliances shaped by colonialism, Asia is integrating through shared value-chain interests, allowing India to partner on equal terms.
3. India’s Role as a Balancing Power: Asian countries seek partnership with India due to its technological capacity, economic weight, and ability to balance China.India has the potential to shape Asian regional institutions and emerging economic corridors.
4. Strengthening Relations with Russia and Stable Ties with China: Russia remains a trusted 75-year-old strategic partner, and its S-400 system was crucial in “Operation Sindoor.” India-China border negotiations in Ladakh are advancing, with potential long-term implications for stability and settlement of related issues such as Kashmir.
5. The Rise of Asian Groupings: Organisations like BRICS, SCO, and ASEAN are becoming intertwined in economic, security, and political domains. The door remains open for India to rejoin RCEP, offering a major alternative market to the U.S.
Why India Must Re-evaluate Its U.S.A Engagement
1. U.S.A. Moves Are Reducing India’s Strategic Policy Space: U.S.A. is attempting to “pull India away from China” and restrict India’s discounted oil purchase from Russia. The U.S.A. Ambassador’s public positions reveal attempts to influence India’s choices.
2. Concerns Over U.S.A Motives: There is a growing perception that the U.S.A may try to prevent India’s rise to avoid another China-like competitor.
3. India Has Asserted Strategic Independence: Prime Minister Modi clarified that India’s future cannot be dictated by external powers, underlining independent decision-making.
Key Challenges for India in Pursuing an Asia-centered Strategy
1. Defining Strategic Autonomy Clearly: India must balance its developmental priorities with its rising power status, ensuring that partnerships do not impose external agendas.
2. Navigating New Technological and Geopolitical Rules: Asia’s power is now linked to technology, digital interconnectedness, and innovation, not traditional diplomacy. India must protect national data, promote endogenous technology, and strengthen local defence production.
3. Adapting to Evolving Security Threats: Cyberwarfare is becoming central, replacing land-centric threats. China’s recalibration in Pakistan, U.S.A influence in South Asia, and the U.S.A quest for a base in Afghanistan complicate India’s security landscape.
4. Defence Modernisation Challenges: India needs a national debate on reallocating defence resources. Maintaining a large Army and importing big platforms may hinder innovation in AI, missiles, drones, air defence, and space systems where India already has competitive capability.
5. AI Sovereignty Risks: India’s ₹10,372-crore AI mission has been questioned by global firms for being inadequate. There is a risk of U.S.A companies dominating India’s AI ecosystem, undermining sovereignty.
Way Forward
1. Reaffirm Strategic Autonomy Based on India’s Dual Agendas: India must align foreign policy with both its high-growth ambitions and its Global South developmental commitments without dilution.
2. Rebuild Trade and Economic Integration Within Asia: India should explore re-entry into RCEP and deepen cooperation across BRICS, SCO, and ASEAN. Trade concessions and mechanisms outside WTO rules may help integrate India into Asian value chains.
3. Prioritise Technology and Innovation as Core National Strategy: India must invest heavily in indigenous innovation, digital sovereignty, and localised defence systems. Protecting national data and building homegrown technological capacity should be non-negotiable.
4. Transform National Security for a Digital Era: Cybersecurity, AI-driven warfare, and technological dominance must replace older land-centric doctrines. Defence spending should shift from manpower-heavy structures to innovation-heavy capabilities.
5. Achieve AI Sovereignty: Funding for AI must increase at least 20-fold, with national-level strategic collaboration, advanced compute resources, proprietary AI models, and talent development under PMO leadership. This will be critical for India’s goal of becoming a global power by 2047.
Conclusion: As global power shifts toward Asia, India stands at a decisive moment in shaping its future. An Asia-focused strategy—grounded in strategic autonomy, technological strength, regional integration, and innovation—offers India the best path to secure its economic rise, geopolitical influence, and long-term national interests.
Question: India’s foreign policy is at an inflection point, with changing global power balances and shifting Asian dynamics. Discuss why the new strategic direction for India should be towards Asia, highlighting key challenges and the way forward.
