“India’s potential to check China’s power has never been greater…”, says op-ed writer

Washington [US], May 26 (ANI): The Washington Post op-ed writer Max Boot believes India’s potential to check China’s power has never been greater, the country would be a natural ally for the United States, reported US-based online magazine CounterPunch. Boot’s solution is to give greater support to India, particularly in view of that country’s emergence last month as having the world’s largest population. According to CounterPunch, Boot, a conservative writer, argues that India’s new demographic status, which makes it the first country in recorded history to overtake China in population, will make it “less likely that the 21st century will be ‘China’s century’.” As per the US-based magazine, The Washington Post’s op-ed writers on national security are mostly in agreement on the importance of challenging and even confronting China.

Writers such as David Ignatius, Marc Thiessen, and particularly Josh Rogin favour greater defence spending and Indo-Pacific deployments to deal with the problem of China. They give little attention to the possibility of dealing with the problem diplomatically. A recent article in “Foreign Affairs” similarly argued that India’s “population achievement” suggests that it is the only Asian country with the “natural capacity” to balance China. Washington Examiner recently reported that under President Xi Jinping, China has grown more militaristic, aggressive, and hostile, however, India will be one key to countering China. “The United States increasingly supports Taiwan and bolsters Australia’s defence capabilities, but ignoring India will likely condemn any counter-China strategy to failure. Of the 14 countries that border China (21 if maritime boundaries are included), India is the only one that holds its own militarily,” said Michael Rubin in an opinion piece for Washington Examiner.