Excelsior Correspondent
In a rare commendation, Global Times, a prominent Beijing based Chinese media outlet, has published an article praising India’s significant strides in economic development, social governance, and foreign policy under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The article, penned by Zhang Jiadong, the Director of the Center for South Asian Studies at Fudan University, Shanghai, highlights India’s remarkable achievements over the past four years. It acknowledges India’s robust economic growth, improvements in urban governance, and a shift in attitude towards international relations, notably with China. “For example, when discussing the trade imbalance between China and India, Indian representatives earlier used to primarily focus on China’s measures to reduce the trade imbalance. But now they are placing more emphasis on India’s export potential”, writes the author.
The article notably commends India’s proactive approach in fostering a “Bharat narrative,” emphasizing the nation’s strategic confidence. The author says with its rapid economic and social development, India has become more strategically confident and more proactive in creating and developing a ‘Bharat narrative’. “In the political and cultural spheres, India has moved from emphasizing its democratic consensus with the West to highlighting the ‘Indian feature’ of democratic politics. Currently, there is even more emphasis on the Indian origins of democratic politics” he adds
This shift, the author asserts, reflects India’s ambition to escape its historical colonial shadow and position itself as a global influencer, politically and culturally.
Furthermore, the article lauds India’s foreign policy strategy under Prime Minister Modi, highlighting the nation’s multi-alignment approach and bolstering ties with major global powers like the US, Japan, and Russia while displaying a nuanced stance in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The article notes that India’s strategic thinking in foreign policy has undergone another change and is clearly moving toward a great power strategy. “Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed power, he has advocated for a multi-alignment strategy, promoting India’s relations with the US, Japan, Russia and other countries and regional organizations” says Professor Zhang.
The article notes that India has always considered itself a world power. However, it has only been less than 10 years since India shifted from multi-balancing to multi-alignment, and now it is rapidly transforming toward a strategy of becoming a pole in the multipolar world. In conclusion, the author says “It appears that a transformed, stronger, and more assertive India has become a new geopolitical factor that many countries need to consider.”
This rare acknowledgement of India’s advancements and Prime Minister Modi’s strategic vision by Global Times signifies the growing recognition of India’s burgeoning global influence and the implications of its assertive posture on the international landscape.
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