India’s foreign policy choices in recent years have drawn attention from around the world, especially with reference to its involvement in BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), multilateral organisations that are controlled by China. India made a deliberate and logical choice to disassociate itself from these organisations as geopolitical tensions and economic aspirations collided.
Strategic autonomy and non-alignment have always been the cornerstones of Indian foreign policy. Maintaining this independence is essential in light of escalating geopolitical tensions, particularly those resulting from China’s assertive moves in the Indo-Pacific and along its border with India. India’s ability to pursue its strategic interests independently may be compromised by China’s dominance within the BRICS and the SCO, and this may lead to a situation in which India’s concerns are disregarded or minimised.
Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, won’t be the only head of state absent as South Africa prepares to host the BRICS conference later this month. Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, is also unlikely to go to South Africa for the meeting. President Putin and Prime Minister Modi will both participate electronically at the session. But these two leaders have quite different reasons for skipping an in-person meeting. Russia is concerned that President Putin may be detained pursuant to an arrest order issued by the International Criminal Court, while PM Modi’s absence is more related to India’s shifting allegiance to the West.
Hear it straight from the source. According to a government official from India, there is growing unease in New Delhi about India’s membership in organisations like the BRICS and SCO, which are dominated by China, especially as India moves closer to the United States and other Western nations.
Strategic autonomy and non-alignment have always been the cornerstones of Indian foreign policy. Maintaining this independence is essential in light of escalating geopolitical tensions, particularly those resulting from China’s assertive moves in the Indo-Pacific and along its border with India. India’s ability to pursue its strategic interests independently may be compromised by China’s dominance within the BRICS and the SCO, and this may lead to a situation in which India’s concerns are disregarded or minimised.
Recall that days following Prime Minister Modi’s state visit to the US, India convened a fictitious SCO conference. No official justification for convening the summit virtually was given by New Delhi. But when combined with PM Modi’s hesitation to physically attend the BRICS conference, everything seems to fall into place. You see, after being hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic, China is seeking to regain its footing on the international scene. This pandemic did a lot of damage to China’s reputation. The level of hostility between China and the United States is at an all-time high right now. The Western Hemisphere is on the US side. China wants to establish its own bloc to compete with the West. Which bloc does India fit into, exactly?
Certainly not in the bloc China desires to rule. Russia and China are actively promoting the expansion of the BRICS. At least 30 nations have expressed a desire to join, and 22 of them have submitted formal applications. India is opposed because it sees the rapid expansion of a restricted club as suspicious. How China is supporting the proposed expansion of the BRICS grouping particularly worries New Delhi. Already, the BRICS countries make up around 26% of the world’s economy and more than 40% of the world’s population. Therefore, China believes that the BRICS will effectively become a counterweight to the Western system led by the US.
The simplest way to define India’s response to what is happening to the current global order is cautious. India genuinely understands the dangers a hegemonic order dominated by a select few Western countries poses to the global community. Additionally, India is a democracy. It is significantly more similar to Western democracies than it is to China. In actuality, only India and China have engaged in physical combat. With China, a military stalemate is still going on. As a result, it would not have looked good if the Prime Minister and Xi Jinping had shared the platform in South Africa.
You could argue that the Prime Minister has previously appeared on stage with the leader of China, citing the G20 conference that took place in Indonesia last year as an example. But keep in mind that several Western powers also took part in the conference in Indonesia. On the other hand, BRICS is presented as a group that aims to oppose the West and its sway over the global order. India is not at ease adopting that stance.
India has established a boundary. It has a long-standing, reliable relationship with Russia. So, when Russian soldiers invaded Ukraine, New Delhi made a determined decision to remain neutral. To resolve the conflict, it still asks for communication and diplomacy between the two warring parties. President Putin was famously advised by PM Modi that “this is not the time for war.” India has increased its oil purchases from Russia at the same time in an unprecedented way.
India has been forced to reconsider its policy in light of China’s efforts to create BRICS and SCO organisations that pose a threat to the West. New Delhi can defend maintaining its relationship with Russia. Being a member of a Chinese campaign to directly confront the West is something it cannot defend. After all, India maintains close ties with virtually all Western countries. These connections help India’s economy become more intertwined with the West and less dependent on Russian military equipment.
To top it all off, China and India are involved in a military confrontation. In the Indo-Pacific, China is known for being an aggressive and expansionist country. It is anticipated that this nation will one day attack Taiwan. India is aware that it cannot support Beijing’s anti-Western stance. After all, it is fairly obvious who India will support if a war between the West and China does break out. In fact, New Delhi is aware that it can rely on nations like the United States in the case of a conflict between India and China. After all, it is a well-known truth that the US has provided India with essential intelligence that has enabled it to fend off China in the Himalayas.
It would not be in India’s best interests to attack the West hand in hand with China. India and the West have close ties. If New Delhi sided with Beijing and Moscow in organisations like the BRICS and SCO, these might be in jeopardy. India has repeatedly denounced Western neo-imperialism and does not support it. India is aware of when to draw the line, though.
The fact that India perceives itself as a natural leader of the Global South is very essential. China is also interested in that highly sought-after title. India appears to be separating itself from groups that China is eager to dominate. India’s planned and practical choice to withdraw from the China-dominated BRICS and SCO is a statement of its commitment to maintaining its strategic autonomy, pursuing balanced economic linkages, and investigating diversified collaborations. India’s position gives it the freedom to sculpt its foreign policy in accordance with its own interests and priorities as geopolitical factors continue to change. By doing this, India establishes itself as a trustworthy international actor who manages the challenges of the global scene with caution and insight.
