Eric Heginbotham and I sat down for an interview with Andy Browne of the Wall Street Journal about the implications of rising Chinese and Indian power for the United States. Eric did a good job summarizing our view: “Both are going to present challenges to the United States. At the same time, we’ll be able to partner with both of them on various issues.”
Our view differs from the conventional wisdom reflected in policy circles and in some academic studies. Most see the United States on an inevitable path to conflict with China and natural partnership with India. Instead, Washington will face a mixed picture in its relations with both New Delhi and Beijing. There are under-examined opportunities for increasing cooperation with China and with India. At the same time, both of these rising powers are likely to present security challenges for the United States, although of different kinds.
The interview appears on the Wall Street Journal China news page and also on the Journal’s excellent China blog, China Real Time, as well as the counterpart blog for India, India Real Time.
Andy Browne also discusses our book in this video/interview with the Wall Street Journal’s Deborah Kan.
Space constraints meant that some of our answers did not make it into the interview. At one point we discussed our view that the United States needs to broaden and deepen its trade and investment relations with India. We also believe that Washington must pay much greater attention to developing greater alignment with New Delhi on major diplomatic and foreign policy issues, including global trade talks, climate change and energy, Middle East diplomacy, and nuclear arms dialogue.
Greater common interests and greater diplomatic alignment will make for a more stable long term partnership and bring content to the logic of greater security cooperation. Security and geostrategic issues have taken center stage in U.S.-India relations. But both sides need to do more to build up a balanced relationship and a set of long term common interests that are not only defined by their mutual concerns about China.
George J. Gilboy 