Abhinav Pandya
After swearing in as India’s Prime Minister for a third term, Modi’s first foreign visit was to Russia. This was not quite unexpected to seasoned observers. However, the visit was viewed with serious concern, curiosity, and optimism in geopolitical quarters across the world. Aside from the routine bilateral issues of energy, connectivity, trade payments system, health, and defense cooperation, this time, Modi’s visit is likely to focus on a highly critical and sensitive factor in discussions, i.e., China. Beijing’s strengthening ties with Moscow, its strategic partnership with Azerbaijan, and its expanding influence and clout in both the SCO and BRICS are indeed matters of concern for India due to its friction with China.
After the 2020 border clash, relations between Delhi and Beijing deteriorated, and the current phase continues to be strenuous. However, India, at this stage, prefers to resolve the border issues through negotiations and diplomacy. In my previous articles for The National Interest, I discussed the merits and demerits of aligning with the West to address its China challenge. Another window that India can explore is opening a backchannel dialogue route to Beijing through Moscow.
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