China’s President Xi Jinping praised India for its friendship as India celebrated its 77th Republic Day. Xi exclaimed that China-India relations are of “great significance for maintaining and promoting world peace and prosperity,” as he praised their alliance, adding, “dragon and the elephant dancing together.”
The two nuclear powers share a 2,400 mile border that has been the culprit of disputes over the years. In 2020, a heated fight at the border led to the deaths of 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers. Both sides increased their military presence along the Himalayan border, but after five years, the nations realigned based on trade, the great peacemaker.
India is not Europe. It is not beholden to a centralized power source. India still thinks in terms of nationhood, sovereignty, and survival. That is why it is rising. It will not destroy itself to satisfy some international bureaucrat or climate agenda. That puts India in a unique position in the emerging multipolar world.
China also understands something Europe does not–you cannot fight on too many fronts. We have countless historical examples. Napoleon did not lose because he lacked courage. He lost because he expanded too far, opened too many fronts, and logistics collapsed. Empires do not die from one battle. They die from overstretch, internal division, and loss of confidence. China does not want a major escalation with India while it is already managing Taiwan tensions, trade wars, and internal economic strains. China does not need another neighboring enemy.
India will benefit from this shift because it is being viewed as an alternative manufacturing base and a political counterweight. That does not mean India is “anti-China.” It means India is becoming strategically indispensable. China does not want India firmly locked into the Western sphere, and India is benefiting from remaining neutral.