'Chart its own path': Author says India should push for multi-polarity, get over West's perception of China

Navroop Singh, author of The Great Reset and co-author of The New Global Order, said in a social media post that India should push for multi-polarity and get over the West's anti-China perception. He said in his post on X (formerly Twitter) that the first instance in which New Delhi shed its inertia was when it backed Afghanistan on the issue of Bagram air base.

"Few major developments in the last few days that have relatively gone unnoticed but have profound consequences and a message. Firstly, India joined Russia and China in backing the Taliban and officially saying Bagram Airbase belongs to Afghanistan and America has no business over there," he said. 

He added that India had signed the joint statement issued by the participants of the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan, ahead of Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi's visit to India. Singh further claimed that this is a big development as China is now operating the Bagram air base with the Taliban's protection and permission. 

Other measures that, according to Navroop Singh, have signalled India's silent realignment are: Indian Oil Company (IOC) making payments for Russian oil in Chinese Yuan after Iran and Saudi Arabia; and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) selling US treasuries and accumulating gold for it. 

Furthermore, he said that not only should India get over the anti-China perception perpetuated by the West, but also acknowledge Beijing's rise.

"It is time we get over the anti-China perceptions that the Western Media has shaped over decades. India should acknowledge China's rise, seeking to cooperate in some areas, compete in some areas, without getting into a conflict, the 3Cs doctrine. This is a tectonic shift as MEA S Jaishankar himself said a few day's back that China will outperform the USA in certain fields, giving it a run for their money."

Singh mentioned that India can learn some things from China and probably even trade with it without letting our guard down on the border. While he acknowledged the border issues between India and China, he said that they should be resolved through dialogue and not conflict. 

He mentioned that India can engage with China in areas related to new-age technology such as automation, batteries, etc, while undertaking vertical and backward integration in product value chains.

"India should take the lead in Renewables & Green Technologies. The underpinnings of Quad should not define our relationships, specially with China. It's time we accept that China has broken American dominance in many fields, though not all."

Besides this, Singh mentioned that these events hint at a "rapid cooling off in the relationship between India and the United States over the past few weeks and months". He mentioned that the negotiations for the trade deal are ongoing, but without any significant breakthrough, indicating that New Delhi is not willing to yield on its red lines in the trade deal. 

Commenting on the present status of the Indo-US ties, he wrote that the CATSAA waiver and Iran sanctions on Chabahar Port do nothing to ease the tension between the two countries. "Trump’s Pivot towards Pakistan and India’s strategic autonomy is now dictating a pure transactional relationship between New Delhi and Washington despite the veneer of bonhomie on the top."

He said that any country would be wary of Washington's "economic nationalism" that has upended the global order. "Since America broke the trust and spirit of the agreements between two countries, India is no longer bound morally to comply with restrictive clauses like the ones in Information Technology agreement of 1997. India will take its sovereign decisions which is best for its people from Trade to Technology," he wrote towards the end of his post.