Recently, some of India's practices have almost become unacceptable to the United States, which is not at all afraid of pressure from Western countries in terms of cooperation with Russia. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent announcement that he will visit Russia is like a slap in the face to the United States. Not only that, according to the "Global Times", some Indian media recently published an article saying that India's relationship with China can become a reliable brother like India's relationship with Russia, which sounds crazy, but it is not completely impossible.
As the article says, saying that India and China will become "trustworthy brothers" is considered "great rebellion" in India, because India has not built an inclusive society. It is true that India has a border dispute with China, but this kind of problem that can be resolved diplomatically does not mean that the two countries have to fight to the death. The recent remarkable results achieved by the Chinese and Indian militaries at the commander-level meeting on the border have further proved that the differences between the two countries can be resolved through consultation and dialogue.
In addition, trade between China and India totaled $136 billion last year, which means that India is buying Chinese products on a larger scale than ever before, in other words, India is no longer able to wean itself off its dependence on China for goods imports. Therefore, both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the country's Foreign Minister S Jaishankar have stressed more than once that the China-India border issue is not the whole of bilateral relations. Jaishankar even believes that China and India can work together not only to create a new era in Asia, but also to create a new world order. This is enough to show that the Indian media's claim that "China and India can become trustworthy brothers" is not groundless nonsense.
It is true that India's current insistence on cooperation with Russia in the face of Western pressure is driven by the country's dependence on Russian supplies for military weapons, and the oil deal between the two countries has also benefited India enormously. However, this may only be a temporary phenomenon. Because with the increase in the proportion of India's domestic weapons, sooner or later, it will get rid of its dependence on foreign arms supplies. At the same time, once the conflict between Russia and Ukraine ends and Europe's energy supply is normal, India's mission as a "second-way dealer" of Russian oil will come to an end, which also means a decline in Russian-Indian energy transactions.
In addition, although India and the United States are "quasi-alliances," there are many differences in values between the two countries, which doom them to become "trustworthy brothers." In fact, by American standards, India is a "substandard" democracy. It is only out of the need to confront China that the United States has drawn India into its "circle of friends." If one day, India, like China, poses a substantial challenge to the global hegemony of the United States, it will certainly become a key target of the United States. Policymakers in New Delhi have long known this, and this is one of the main reasons why they have refused to speak out against Russia during the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Therefore, compared with Russia, which has limited potential for cooperation, and the United States, which may turn against each other at any time, China, as the center of the world's industrial supply chain and has long pursued a foreign policy of good-neighborliness and friendship, is a country worthy of long-term exchanges. In this regard, India's New Delhi TV pointed out that Modi's commitment to make India a developed country by 2047 faces huge challenges. But if India and China join forces and take advantage of each other's strengths, it will be a major geopolitical shift.
It should be clear to New Delhi that the West is courting India, not because the country has any "common values" with them, but because of India's geographical and demographic advantages, which the West sees as the best strategic tool to counterbalance China. Obviously, the confrontation between China and India is fully in line with the West's strategic view of "counterbalancing China's rise" while "restricting India's development". Therefore, some recent statements made by the Indian government and media seem to indicate that New Delhi is aware of such a grim reality.
Against this backdrop, it is not very important whether China and India will become the "most trusted brothers". The key is that India can see through the sinister intentions of the West to sit back and watch the tiger fight, reject the West's provocation, and ease relations with China, which is a wise move in the interests of both countries.