ABSTRACT
Even though the 21st century is often called the Asian Century, bolstered by expectations of cooperation between India and China, two of the most populated countries in the world with relatively faster growth rates, the fact is that the relationship is extremely complex. Cooperation often gets marred by conflict, as seen in the case of Chinese violations of Indian sovereignty, be it in Galwan since 2020 or in the case of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) running through disputed territory. Bilateral relations get more complicated as China continues expanding its sphere of influence in South Asia, which has often been seen as efforts to surround India with military and geopolitical implications. India's relations with South Asian countries are the result of years of shared history, culture, and values. Difficult relationships, such as the one between India and Pakistan, for example, are also a by-product of shared histories, values, and cultures, as have been the cases of more amicable relationships in South Asia, as is seen in the case of the India-Bangladesh relationship. India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has even gone to the extent of calling the India-Bangladesh relationship an excellent bilateral relationship that goes “far beyond a strategic partnership” (MEA 2021). 1 However, as China increases its forays into South Asia, worried commentaries have often emerged from India which border on concerns regarding its traditional partner following the same path as Nepal and Sri Lanka, which have been hedging towards Beijing.
