South Asia likely to remain a playground for the US and China’s strategic competition: Chairman IPS

Chairman IPS Khalid Rahman was invited to attend and deliver a presentation in an international conference ‘China-South Asia Cooperation and Geopolitical Changes’, hosted by the Center for South Asia-West China Cooperation and Development Studies (SAWCCAD), Sichuan University, Chengdu China, from November 9-12, 2023.

The objective of the conference was to help broaden China-South Asia academic exchanges and deepen research to develop and expand understanding of bilateral and regional issues.

Rahman, in his presentation titled ‘The Trajectory of US-China Relations and South Asia ‘, maintained that the relations between the US and China have become one of the defining features of international relations in recent times.  A strategic competition between them, therefore, was imminent. The problem however began when the competition started to turn into rivalry owing to a range of economic, political and strategic factors, giving emergence to a cold-war like scenario.

It is obvious that both the US and China wish to deepen their influence all around the world, the trajectories of their influence however are differing both in nature and content, he pointed out. Historically the US has used wars as the key instrument to increase its influence. Beijing, on the other hand, emphasizes on economic integration and development within and without through a win-win strategy as its road map for engagement with the world.

Their relative power balance aside, more important are their strategies and tactics which are causing a significant impact on the world, and South Asia is no exception, he added. In an attempt to balance out China in South Asia, the US began to see India as its strategic ally and started supporting its rise in the hope of curbing China’s influence in the region. The two however are likely to remain unreliable partners as their regional and global ambitions are not completely harmonious. The Indian stakes are also tied up with China and New Delhi would never want to have a direct military confrontation with its neighbor.

Hence, he concluded, while the interdependence and occasional interactions between Beijing and Washington on global and bilateral issues would continue in general, the regions like South Asia would remain a playground for both to pursue their respective stakes and interests.