Clash of the titans & India’s Asia-Pacific predicament

The strategic notion of the Indo-Pacific revolves primarily around the perception of China’s assertive rise and the potential decline of the US-led liberal international order, triggering strategic competition and rivalry between rising and dominant powers. Unlike the term 'Asia-Pacific', which emerged in the 1960s and emphasised the partnership between the economic giants of the time, the term 'Indo-Pacific' has more strategic and political connotations. India is considered an important component of this strategy. The USA wishes to involve India in its grand ‘Indo-Pacific’ strategic design, especially to counter the Chinese challenge in the East Asia/Pacific region. To this end, it has promoted India’s growing association with its East Asian and Pacific allies. However, the nature of the strategy suggests that it is more Pacific than 'Indo', and India has limited scope to contribute significantly, given its preoccupation with handling the geostrategic challenges emanating from its belligerent neighbours in South Asia.