Asian Century Dream and Power Politics: A Study of India China Rivalry of 21st Century

Abstract

The concept of ‘Asian Century’ has yet to be widely embraced among the scholars and practitioners of International Relations. If the Asian Century has indeed become ‘a defining feature of the 21st century’, it matters to discuss the rivalry between two super powers of Asia and its relationships with the outside the region. The current century has been signalled as the age of Asia that is marching forward, beginning of the current century has witnessed the degree of economic progress of emerging powers like China and India. It has significantly surpassing that of the United States and the European Union. The regional economic growth is likely to determine the potential of the current century as ‘Asian Century’. India and China are the two most populous nations globally; geographical neighbours seek global and regional influence through economic progress and a mixed option of ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ power. Limits to India’s traditional influence in South Asian regional politics have been exacerbated by China’s recent expansion of trade, military, diplomatic and developmental ties with countries of South Asian, which challenge the India’s hegemonic traditional influence in the South Asian region. In response, India is developing a new, proactive security policy that seeks to counter Chinese political narratives and infrastructure projects in South Asia. The rivalry between India and China has entered its sixth decade. Although the territorial disputes began in the 1950s, it has become a deep-rooted, enduring rivalry since the 1962 border warfare between the two states. Sino-Indian tensions and suspicions have remained over their disputed border, called LAC (the Line of Actual Control). This study examines the idea of ‘Asian Century dream’ in the context of India-China strategic rivalry. The article is structured into three main parts. The first part outlines the concept of the ‘Asian century dream’, while the second part analyzes the current power politics in Asia. Finally, the third part investigates how the competition between the two major Asian powers affects the realization of the Asian century dream.