For Modi 2.0, India’s US-China balancing act just got trickier

Border stand-offs with China, air strikes in Pakistan, and a strong-arm approach to smaller neighbours marked his first term as prime minister

Now safely re-elected, is it time for the friendly approach?

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Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a summit in Xiamen in 2017. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:45am, 25 May 2019Updated: 5:31pm, 25 May 2019

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stunning election victory on Thursday was the third re-election for a leader of a major regional democracy in a week, days after the return to power of Australia’s Scott Morrison and Indonesia’s Joko Widodo.

This continuity in three key Indo-Pacific powers strikes a curious note amid the increasing uncertainty facing the region and the world.

Modi’s remarkable win – the first time since 1971 that an incumbent prime minister in India has retained an absolute majority – will lend some predictability to India’s engagement with both the region as well as the United States and China.

The first foreign policy challenge already confronting the Modi government is a decision to be made on India’s oil imports from Iran, which are under pressure on account of the US-Iran tensions. India delayed a decision until the elections were over, following a US move to discontinue a sanctions waiver for India.

Modi has returned to power with a resounding majority in the Indian parliament. Photo: AFP

This is just one of the many challenges Modi faces in the increasingly difficult task of navigating a world in flux – from the US-China trade war to Iran – to secure India’s interests.

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