The global strategic environment is rapidly changing, and India is at the heart of this transformation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is currently on an important diplomatic trip, visiting Japan, attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, and holding side meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
These interactions indicate a significant shift in India’s foreign policy stance. Simultaneously, responses from Washington and its circle are intense. The so-called “henchmen” of the United States Government (USG) are insulting India, while President Donald Trump has used social media to issue subtly veiled threats.
Yet, beneath the noise lies a deeper reality: India is neither aligned nor isolated. It is realigning, in a systematic and ongoing way, to protect its national interest. This marks the new era of non-alignment, and India is shaping it with nuance, resolve, and a long-term perspective.
India’s Strategic Autonomy: Lessons of History
India’s foreign policy has traditionally been guided by the doctrine of non-alignment, a concept developed during the Cold War by Jawaharlal Nehru and others, which aimed to preserve strategic independence in a bipolar world. Although critics dismissed it as fence-sitting, it allowed India to maintain flexibility, gain economic and military concessions, and avoid being drawn into ideological conflicts.
Today, in a multipolar world, this doctrine has not been abandoned; it’s being redefined. The contemporary Indian version is more pragmatic, transactional, and openly aligned with national interests, rather than relying on lofty rhetoric. Where earlier non-alignment focused on avoiding power blocs, now it involves shaping India’s own power centre while engaging with all blocs.
PM Modi’s Japan Visit: Building the Indo-Pacific Arc
Japan continues to be a key part of India’s Indo-Pacific strategy, and the ongoing visit strengthens a strategic and economic partnership that goes beyond bilateral relations.
Economic Complementarity. Japanese capital and technology complement India’s large market and labour force. Projects like the Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail and Japanese investment in digital infrastructure serve as symbols of mutual growth.
Defence Cooperation. Both nations are increasing naval exercises and intelligence sharing, aiming to maintain the Indo-Pacific balance amid Chinese assertiveness.
Quad Framework. Alongside the US and Australia, India and Japan anchor the Quad—a platform often seen as a counterbalance to China. However, India is carefully making sure that the Quad does not turn into a military alliance.
This ongoing engagement shows India’s ability to utilize partnerships with the West without being overshadowed by them.
The SCO Summit: Engaging Eurasia
Following Japan, PM Modi is attending the SCO Summit, an organization dominated by China and Russia. Critics question India’s participation in a grouping led by adversaries, but the answer is clear: geopolitics rewards presence, not absence.
Dialogue with adversaries: India is leveraging the SCO platform to keep open communication channels with China, even as tensions continue along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Energy and Connectivity. Russia and Central Asia remain key sources of hydrocarbons. As Western sanctions on Moscow tighten, India works to preserve the legitimacy of its oil imports from Russia.
Counterterrorism and Afghanistan. India’s involvement ensures its place in discussions that include Pakistan, Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, and the broader issue of Islamist extremism.
By engaging, India is not endorsing China or Russia; it is making sure it remains involved in shaping Eurasia’s strategic discourse.
Meetings with Xi Jinping and Putin: The New Triangular Dialogue
The sideline meetings with Xi and Putin are drawing global attention. They represent the intricate nature of India’s diplomacy.
With China, Modi’s dialogue with Xi indicates India’s intention not to let border disputes overshadow all aspects of bilateral engagement. Economic interdependence and pragmatic dialogue serve as stabilisers.
With Russia, President Putin continues to emphasise India’s significance as a partner, while India sustains its purchase of Russian oil, arms, and technology. These interactions reflect a long-standing trust, even as Moscow deepens its ties with Beijing.
These triangular interactions are not about choosing sides. They are about creating strategic space, ensuring that neither bloc confines India.
The American Response: From Disappointment to Threats
The US establishment observes these developments with a mix of unease and irritation. Their criticisms are based on three assumptions.
· That India, as a “partner” of the West, should automatically align against China and Russia.
· India’s economic rise is dependent on Western goodwill and should remain compliant with Western interests.
· President Trump’s transactional worldview allows him to threaten partners and extract concessions.
These assumptions ignore India’s civilizational identity and strategic culture. India has never been a client state. It has consistently reserved the right to determine its own path, even if that means displeasing powerful allies.
India’s Realignment: The Doctrine of Multi-Engagement
What is unfolding is neither non-alignment in the traditional sense nor alliance-building as understood by the Western perspective. It is what can be described as multi-engagement realignment.
India is strengthening defence cooperation with the West (e.g., advanced jet engines, naval propulsion systems, cyber defence) and diversifying its supply chains.
With Russia, India obtains discounted oil, weapons, and space cooperation.
With China, India balances deterrence at the border with practical trade engagement.
With the Global South, India positions itself as a leader on food security, climate finance, and debt relief.
This is a significant departure from “sitting on the fence.” It is a deliberate and calculated pursuit of strategic autonomy in a multipolar world order, instilling reassurance and confidence in India’s foreign policy decisions.
Challenges Ahead: The Real Tests of India’s Diplomacy
The path India is charting is ambitious but carries risks.
Managing the US Relationship. Can India resist American pressure without risking its access to vital Western technology and investments?
Containing China. Engagement must not hide the truth of Chinese expansionism across land and sea. India must modernise its military while avoiding escalation.
Balancing Russia’s Tilt Toward China. As Moscow increasingly leans into Beijing’s orbit, India must find creative ways to preserve Russia’s independent engagement with the region.
Domestic Capacity. India’s economic and military strength must align with its global ambitions. Reforms, innovation, and resilience are essential, urgent, and impactful.
India’s Strategic Culture: Resilience and Patience
From the Arthashastra to modern doctrines, Indian statecraft has emphasised long-term survival over short-term gratification. This patience and resilience are visible in Modi’s diplomacy.
The West may see it as opportunism. China might challenge it with standoffs. Russia could use it for its own survival. But India remains unprovoked and unmoved—guided instead by a civilizational identity that has lasted for millennia.
Charting India’s Own Course
The world is in flux. Old alliances are weakening, new blocs are forming, and institutions are struggling to adapt. Amid this turbulence, India is neither a bystander nor a vassal; it is transforming into an independent centre of power.
Prime Minister Modi’s ongoing diplomatic engagements are not isolated episodes; they are milestones in a process of realignment—toward a foreign policy that is non-aligned in spirit, pragmatic in execution, and unapologetically rooted in national interest.
To Washington, New Delhi signals partnership, not patronage.
To Beijing: dialogue, not dominance.
To Moscow: cooperation, not dependence.
To the Global South: leadership, not lip service.
The message is clear: India will chart its own course, in its own time, on its own terms.