Backgrounder: How India-China Relations Are Shaping Multilateral Bodies

A rare face-to-face meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in 2019. Image: India's Press Information Bureau / AFP

India and China’s fractious relationship reaches far beyond their disputed border. It influences politics in countries like the Maldives, where candidates in the upcoming presidential election are frequently defined according to their China/India alignment.

The tensions are also reshaping multilateral organizations. India has favored joining multilateral blocs led by both China and the U.S. (for example, the Quad defense alliance between India, the U.S., Japan, and Australia).

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by Cobus van Staden

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