India

This chapter analyzes India's role as an important yet constrained economic and strategic partner for China, arguing that since 2000 the two countries have developed deep but asymmetric interdependence. Bilateral trade has expanded rapidly and is highly complementary, but China's persistent surplus, limited two-way investment, and shallow financial links reveal structural imbalances. Cooperation has broadened across infrastructure, telecommunications, agriculture, energy, climate governance, and cultural and educational exchanges, supported by platforms such as BRICS, the NDB, and AIIB. Yet unresolved border disputes, security concerns, media-driven misperceptions, and weak people-to-people ties sustain a trust deficit that curbs the full realization of China–India cooperation and shapes the broader context of China's global strategy.