ABSTRACT
In the recent period, given its ambitions to occupy centre stage in global and regional orders as the 19th Communist Party decided in 2017, China had embarked on a multipronged approach to rejuvenate itself and realise its dreams. One of the most complex regions in this drive is South Asia, given the geographical barriers in the Himalayas, uneven economic development and integration, the widespread influence of ethnic strife and terrorism, nuclear factor between a China-supported Pakistan and “credible” nuclear deterrence of India and most significant prospects for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that China launched in 2013. The BRI in its various forms encompasses, as far as the South Asian region is concerned, the continental (China–Pakistan Economic Corridor [CPEC] and Bangladesh–China–India–Myanmar Economic Corridor [BCIMEC]) and maritime domains (the Indian Ocean). Besides, the BRI projects are expanding in Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Nepal, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. While China wants India to come under the ambit of the BRI, India has been critical of the unilateral nature of the BRI, apart from its predatory financing, environmental fallout and the like. While India and other countries form formidable players in this matrix, China has been pursuing its goals to become the main actor in the region despite the main structural problems in this drive.
