Balancing China and the United States: Assessing the Efficacy of India’s Multi-Alignment in the Indo-Pacific

The expanding rift between the United States of America (USA) and China has moved beyond trade disputes to a wider strategic and systemic competition. India finds itself at the Centre of this transforming global order, and its growing ambition, capabilities, and strategic presence in the Indo-Pacific region enable it to play a more significant role in world affairs. Therefore, India’s foreign policy has a significant weight in determining peace, prosperity, and stability in the region. Hence, the paper first analyses the changing nature of India’s foreign policy from strategic autonomy to strategic autonomy 2.0, which emphasises on multi-alignment and the challenges before it. Secondly, it examines, through the prism of triangular diplomacy, how India navigates the “USA-China-India” dynamic, leveraging growing defence and technological ties with the USA to counter China’s hegemonic ambitions, while also managing critical economic interdependencies and border stability with China. Lastly, it discusses “Modified India,” which shows its posture of strategic reciprocity, signalling readiness to deliver a calibrated and resolute response to any provocation.