On Wednesday, May 7th, WorldBoston had the privilege of hosting Sugata Bose, renowned historian and former Member of the Indian Parliament, for a compelling conversation on “India: China, the West, & the Global South”. As part of the Great Decisions series, Professor Bose offered deep insights into India's evolving role on the global stage, the dynamics of its relationships with China and Western powers, and its influence within the broader Global South. The discussion illuminated the complexities of modern geopolitics and underscored the importance of historical perspective in understanding current international affairs.
Bose began by recounting a striking moment in early India-China diplomacy. On July 26, 1953, an Indian cultural delegation performed in Beijing’s Peace Hall before top leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. The evening culminated with a recitation of a poem by Bengali writer Sukanta Bhattacharya, which included the stirring line, “rebellion today, rebellion everywhere.” These early moments illustrated a genuine spirit of solidarity between two newly independent nations, both looking to assert their place in the post-colonial world.
However, this unity was short-lived. By the late 1950s, China’s Great Leap Forward had begun, and relations with India strained. The promise of post-colonial solidarity gave way to disputes over sovereignty and borders, which were inherited from colonial-era definitions. These tensions culminated in the 1962 Sino-Indian War, which deeply damaged bilateral ties for over two decades.
Professor Bose then traced India’s foreign policy journey through the Cold War. He highlighted its non-alignment strategy and explained how it was tested during the 1971 Bangladesh crisis, when U.S. support for Pakistan strained U.S.-India relations. In response, India signed a twenty-year treaty of friendship with the Soviet Union. It was not until the post-Cold War era that India began to reset its relationships, first with Europe and Southeast Asia, and eventually with the United States.
The improvement in U.S.-India relations in the twenty-first century was a major focus of the talk. Professor Bose detailed key milestones, such as President Clinton’s visit to India, President Bush’s civil nuclear deal, and the continued bipartisan support U.S.-India relations received during the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations. These diplomatic efforts coincided with major shifts in the global economy as countries in Asia began to assert greater influence.
Bose then offered a nuanced comparison of China’s and India’s economic trajectories. Both countries initially pursued state-led development models before enacting reforms to liberalize their economies to varying degrees. China’s reforms began in 1979 and led to explosive growth, turning it into the world’s manufacturing hub. India’s liberalization came later, in 1991, prompted by a balance-of-payments crisis. The reforms removed bureaucratic barriers and opened the country to private enterprise, although social sector investments lagged behind for some time.
By 2019, China’s economy was nearly six times the size of India’s. However, India has emerged as the world’s fastest-growing major economy in recent years. Still, Professor Bose cautioned that Asia’s rise has not been a linear success story. He pointed to the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the 2008 global recession, and the COVID-19 pandemic as key disruptions to the region’s growth.
Bose emphasized that Asia’s resurgence has occurred not through economic isolation, but by asserting its own terms of global engagement. This stands in contrast to the restricted economic participation imposed during the colonial era. With the United States and Europe turning inward, nations in Asia have strengthened intra-regional trade while maintaining global economic ties. Professor Bose suggested that if the continent can address deep-rooted inequalities and avoid the kind of nationalist conflicts that once consumed Europe, the twenty-first century may indeed belong to Asia.
In closing, Professor Bose underscored India’s delicate balancing act. The country must maintain strategic autonomy while fostering strong relations with the West, stabilizing its ties with China, and advocating for the Global South. How India navigates these competing imperatives will determine its role as a global power in the decades to come.
