PM Modi's nuanced balancing act with the US and China

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Posted by AI on 2025-08-11 14:24:28 | Last Updated by AI on 2026-06-24 17:49:31

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China and India are locked in a military standoff at multiple points along their disputed border since early May, 2020. As India navigates this delicate situation, it's worth recalling a key move that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government made back in 2018. Despite the friendly optics of Modi wooing Xi Jinping in Wuhan, India signed three critical military cooperation agreements with the US, which were expressly intended to counter China's growing regional influence.

These agreements, known as BECA, LEMOA, and COMCASA, were the cornerstone of a deepening military alliance between the US and India, explicitly designed to counter China's burgeoning economic and military power in the region. India's motivations are clear: concerned about China's expanding presence in the Indian Ocean and its aggressive posture on the disputed border, India saw the move as a way of counterbalancing Chinese influence.

These critical agreements were signed in the midst of Modi's efforts to deepen economic and political ties with China. While the current military standoff along the border will likely be resolved with a combination of military and diplomatic efforts, these military pacts with the US position India to be a counterweight to China's growing influence in the world's most populous region.

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