China’s Victory Day military parade marked its most assertive demonstration of national power, showcasing advances in the PLA’s modernization across land, sea, air, and emerging domains like cyber and space. The display highlighted Beijing’s pursuit of intelligentized, multi-domain warfare and strategic deterrence against major powers, particularly the U.S. However, the persistent issues of corruption, combat experience, and institutional contradictions within the PLA raise questions about the true depth of China’s military strength behind the impressive display of power.

China’s 15th Five-Year Plan outlines a dual strategy of consolidating domestic modernization and expanding global influence under Xi Jinping’s centralized leadership. The plan aims to strengthen macroeconomic governance, boost domestic demand and promote innovation in strategic industries to sustain competitiveness. Externally, it aims to secure China’s strategic initiative amid great power politics, aligning internal developmental goals with Xi’s vision of shaping global governance and power structures.

Over the past decade, Southeast Asia has become the focal point of Asia’s strategic and economic transformation, with ASEAN at the center of global trade, maritime connectivity and geopolitical competition. China and India increasingly see the bloc as essential to their regional strategies: China as a partner for trade, technology, and security, and India as the cornerstone of its Act East Policy (AEP). The AEP has evolved from a diplomatic initiative into a comprehensive framework, with India strengthening cultural, defense, and multilateral engagement across the region. Meanwhile, China has pursued an expansive agenda through initiatives like the ASEAN–China Free Trade Area and the Belt and Road Initiative, deepening economic and infrastructural integration. Beijing’s approach extends beyond economics to maritime cooperation, regional governance, and influence-building, setting a high benchmark for regional engagement. In this context, India faces the challenge of translating the AEP into tangible influence, balancing ASEAN’s developmental priorities with its own strategic ambitions, while measuring its progress against China’s extensive outreach.

To many external observers, the Chinese notion of democracy is contradictory to the country’s one-party political system and its limited space for dissent. Nonetheless, the Chinese party-state has consistently portrayed itself as a system that embodies democratic values, albeit in a form tailored to its own political and cultural context.

चीन के ’फुजियान’ विमानवाहक पोत का जलावतरण और तैनाती, तथा पीएलएएन की विकसित होती वाहक-हमला क्षमता, उसके पड़ोसियों के लिए बहुआयामी चुनौती प्रस्तुत करती है। इससे ताइवान जलडमरूमध्य में तो जोखिम बढ़ता ही है, जापान और पश्चिमी प्रशांत क्षेत्र पर भी दबाव बढ़ता है। फिर ये भारत और हिंद महासागर के लिए कम चिंता का विषय नहीं है, जिससे हिंद-प्रशांत क्षेत्र के नौसैनिक संतुलन में व्यापक बदलाव में योगदान की संभावना से इंकार नहीं किया जा सकता है।

The Special Issue “India’s Soft Push for Power in South Asia: Shaping A Favourable Tomorrow” was ideated keeping in mind the increasing need for Indian policymakers to mitigate challenges emerging against New Delhi’s South Asian policy. Through each chapter, contributed by emerging Indian scholars specializing in India’s neighborhood policy, the publications envisions new and existing strategies to effectively leverage India’s soft power appeal in South Asia. 

Religious exchanges, especially pilgrimages to Mount Kailash, have long symbolized the fluid cultural ties and contested sovereignties between India, Tibet, and China. The recent reopening of the Kailash yātrā reflects cautious Sino-Indian rapprochement post-Galwan. However, such religious engagement implicitly challenges Beijing’s authority in Tibet. Pilgrimage remains a subtle yet potent site of geopolitical tension and cultural assertion.