INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES,
ENGINEERING & PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES

Arshid Iqbal Dar

University of Kashmir, India

The study is an attempt to accentuate upon China’s growing penetration is South Asia in the backdrop of the discourse of ‘rising India’. The study makes sense in that South Asian region being the natural backyard of India, assumes prominence in emerging India’s great power ambitions. The logic being simple, if India remained locked in its own neighborhood; it would not be easy for India to project power beyond its own backyard. Due to their rise to acme in the global inter-state hierarchy, the bilateral relationship between China and India has descent into vexed paradigm as they are being peppered with each other's pregnant rise. As a result, some amount of friction is visible in their bilateral relationship. In this backdrop, the foreign and economic policies of China are designed to restrict India even in its own backyard. This is evident among other things with China’s numerous investments in building up port facilities in the South Asian region like Gwadar in Pakistan, Chittagong in Bangladesh, and Hambantota in Sri Lanka etc. Additionally, Beijing is also weaning away Nepal, Bhutan and more recently Maldives, which adds much to India’s anxiety. Hence, apart from discussing how China as part of its strategy is making its inroads in South Asia to restrict India, the study shall also deliberate upon the policy options for New Delhi to restrict Beijing.