Sino-Indian Rivalry for Regional Dominance in South Asia since 2013

Abstract

South Asia is one of the most important fields of Sino-Indian competition, especially since each country sees itself as the main pole. India adopts the Monroe principle to play the role of the main actor in the South Asian and Indian Ocean region as part of its quest to control the space stretching from the Arabian Gulf, the Gulf of Bengal and the Indian Ocean to Central Asia. It wields wide influence over South Asian countries except Pakistan. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Nepal are a vital area of Indian influence in South Asia, but in seeking to extend its influence in its regional environment, it faces China, which wants to play a pivotal role in South Asian interactions and where it finds the region optimal. Establishing strategic relations with the countries of the region, whether small non-nuclear states or Pakistan, the nuclear state, with the aim of extending its influence and reducing the Indian presence is evidence of China's determination to become a multidimensional country in Asia and its refusal to keep South Asia as a space for Indian influence.