Is a China-Centric World Inevitable?

In June, Chinese road-building crews accompanied by soldiers started construction in western Bhutan. India’s swift response, confronting the crew with troops, may have caught China off guard, and the two countries have been in a standoff since. “India must carefully select a few key issues where it must confront China, avoiding minor annoyances not vital to national security,” argues Shyam Saran, India’s former foreign secretary. The article is adapted from the inaugural lecture he delivered at the Institute of Chinese Studies and the India International Centre, New Delhi. “Doklam is a significant security challenge.” He questions China’s narrative of power and dominance in Asia, which relies on a selective reading of history along with the country’s role in the Silk Road trading routes across many nations and cultures. Saran concludes that India and other nations that share a vision for a multipolar world could reject senseless eruptions of nationalism and sectarianism and join to form another narrative for an emerging world order, one with global humanitarian interests at its core. – YaleGlobal