Economic heft and foreign policy posturing

News: India’s foreign policy options are limited by its relatively inadequate economic size and technological capabilities.

How economic considerations of a nation can influence its foreign policy stance?

This can be easily understood by analyzing the difference in the West’s posture towards China and Russia.

For instance, with respect to Russia, the western journals repeatedly condemn Mr Putin’s violations of human rights within Russia, such as the targeting of Alexei Navalny.

By contrast, they overlook China’s oppression of millions of people living within its own borders, for example the Uighurs and Tibetans.

This  contrast is because Western real and financial sector companies continue to profit enormously by having invested in mega-scale production of goods and services in China.

Further, China’s huge investments around the world, and being a huge exporter of a range of engineering products, provides them a significant power to influence international policies.

What is the way forward for India?

China’s economic heft has contributed to its aggressive external posturing, including armed intrusions into Indian territory, extravagant claims over all of Arunachal Pradesh.

Changes in the economic size, foreign direct investment-related numbers and military strength of neighboring and major powers, like China, should be factored by India in its foreign policy framework.

Source: This post is based on the article “Economic heft and foreign policy posturing” published in Business standard on 26th November 2021.