ThePrint OpinionPod: ‘China is excluding India from its South Asia outreach, New Delhi’s being framed as volatile’
Mar 26, 2026
Sana Hashmi, a fellow at the Taiwan Asia Exchange Foundation and analyst of Asia-Pacific and South Asian affairs, discusses China's framing of South Asia. She explores China's trade milestones and outreach platforms. She examines how Chinese narratives omit India, label it volatile, and promote parallel partnerships that sideline India. She argues China projects influence while India remains central.
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China Omits India From South Asia Trade Narrative
- China publicly reported $200 billion trade with South Asia but largely omitted India from its narrative.
- India accounts for over 60% of that trade and roughly $120 billion of bilateral commerce, so the figure mainly reflects China-India trade.
China Builds Parallel South Asia Forums Without India
- Chinese policy forums and dialogues often exclude India while inviting Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
- A Shanghai Institute of International Studies Track 1.5/2 event recommended trilateral/millilateral partnerships explicitly without India.
Narrative Frames India As Volatile To Justify Exclusion
- Chinese scholars frame India as a 'complex and volatile' regional power to justify excluding it.
- Framing stresses India's alleged territorial rigidity and neighbors' pressure to make China appear neutral and development-focused.