Navigating Diplomatic Waters: India's Balancing Act Amidst Global Power Shifts

Sat Sep 13 2025 14:25:53 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

As global alliances shift, India's foreign policy faces a crucial test balancing relationships with the US, China, and Russia, amid growing criticism and economic challenges.

India's foreign policy is at a crossroads as it strives to maintain strong ties with the US while managing relationships with China and Russia. Recent criticisms from former President Trump and the complexities of discounted Russian oil purchases complicate this balancing act. With its economy and military capabilities trailing behind China and the US, India aims to secure strategic autonomy, but analysts warn of the risks associated with multipolarity amid changing geopolitical landscapes.

This is a time for us to engage America, manage China, cultivate Europe, reassure Russia, bring Japan into play, draw neighbours in, extend the neighbourhood and expand traditional constituencies of support, Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar wrote in his 2020 book The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World.

For over a decade, India has styled itself as a key node in a new multipolar order: one foot in Washington, another in Moscow, and a wary eye on Beijing.

But the scaffolding is buckling. Donald Trump's America has turned from cheerleader to critic, accusing India of bankrolling Moscow's war chest with discounted oil purchases. Delhi now faces the sting of Trump's public rebuke and higher tariffs.

With multipolarity fraying, many say Prime Minister Narendra Modi's planned meeting with Xi Jinping in Beijing on Sunday looks less like triumphal diplomacy and more like pragmatic rapprochement.

Yet, Delhi's foreign policy is at an uneasy crossroads. India sits in two camps at once: a pillar of Washington's Indo-Pacific Quad with Japan, the US, and Australia, and a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the China and Russia-led bloc that often runs counter to US interests. Delhi buys discounted Russian oil even as it courts American investment and technology.

There's also the I2U2 - a grouping of India, Israel, the UAE, and the US that focuses on technology, food security, and infrastructure - and a trilateral initiative with France and the UAE.

Analysts say this balancing act is no accident. India prizes strategic autonomy and argues that engaging with competing camps gives it leverage rather than exposure.

Hedging is a bad choice. But the alternative of aligning with anyone is worse. India's best choice is the bad choice, which is hedging, Jitendra Nath Misra, a former Indian ambassador, told the BBC.

As for Russia, India has shown little inclination to bend to US pressure. Discounted crude from Moscow remains central to its energy security. Jaishankar's recent visit to Moscow signalled value in keeping the relationship warm as an energy lifeline.

Critics question the timing of India's strategic dialogue with Beijing, suggesting it may be a response to the shifting geopolitical landscape dominated by the US-China rivalry.

Analysts suggest India's best option may be to absorb the pain of criticism from the US and let the storm pass, betting on the eventual normalization of relations.