India’s Policy Towards the Belt and Road Initiative

پژوهش نامه ایرانی سیاست بین الملل

Article 1, Volume 11, Issue 2 - Serial Number 22, March 2023, Pages 5-31   

Document Type: Original Article

DOI: 10.22067/irlip.2022.72685.1157

Authors

Reza Ekhtiari Amiri^* ; Javad Shafaghat

University of Mazandaran

Abstract

During the previous years the geo-politic of South Asia has been a scene for competition of New-Delhi and Beijing thanks to the latter’s the Belt and Road Initiative. India views the initiative a threat for its national interests; on the one hand it could challenge India’s plan for becoming regional hegemony and on the other hand the initiative could weaken India’s position in the international system. For these reasons, New-Delhi has adopted some policies in which prevent China to become a regional hegemony through the Belt and Road Initiative and meanwhile improve its own position regionally and internationally. Accordingly, the main question of the research is what are India’s policies in order to confront threats of China’s belt and Road initiative? The hypothesis is that in order to confront the Belt and Road Initiative and China increasingly power in the framework of this initiative, India has adopted some policies and strategies in foreign policy arena such as creating competing commercial corridors, development of maritime transport infrastructures, strengthen economic convergence with regional countries, increase naval power and influence, strengthen regional multilateralism with the aim of expanding technical and trade cooperation also trans-regional coalition, with the aim of balance of power. The research method is qualitative based on analytical- explanatory approach. The qualitative data was collected from library and internet resources. Also theory of balance of power was utilized in order to analyze the subject matter.

Keywords

India; China; Indian subcontinent; Belt and Road Initiative; Balance of Power

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