Tiger with Wings: China’s BRI and Economic Engagement in South Asia

Sanjay Pulipaka

Global politics is witnessing unprecedented shifts, and China’s rise constitutes an important node in the emerging multipolar world order. The growing Chinese economic engagement is altering the balance of power in various regions and, more specifically, in South Asia. Under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China has intensified its economic engagement in South Asia and is undertaking massive infrastructure projects, including ports, railways, airports, digital networks, and energy projects.

This book locates the BRI as one of the key phases in China’s external economic engagement and provides a comprehensive analysis of its ramifications for South Asia. It also assesses the interface between geopolitics and geoeconomics while also taking a granular approach to critically evaluate various Chinese projects in the subcontinent. Specifically, the impact of Beijing’s engagement on the geopolitical dynamics and the domestic politics and economy of various countries in South Asia figures prominently in the discussion. In the process, the continuities and discontinuities in China’s engagement with the countries in the subcontinent are also mapped.

The chapters in this volume not only marshal evidence to support the arguments but also engage the reader with interesting anecdotes. In addition to drawing on secondary sources, the volume also benefited from the author’s interactions with policymakers, researchers, journalists and others from India and several neighbouring countries. The chapter sequencing makes it convenient for avid readers to study the countries of their choice independently.

Sanjay Pulipaka is the Chairperson of the Politeia Research Foundation. He was previously a Senior Fellow for Research Programmes and Strategic Neighbourhood at the Delhi Policy Group, a Senior Fellow at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, and a Senior Consultant at the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER).

Sanjay Pulipaka was also a Pavate Visiting Fellow at the University of Cambridge and a former Fulbright Fellow in the Conflict Transformation Programme in the US. Sanjay also has extensive work experience with think-tanks and civil society organisations in India. He has considerable work experience in strengthening participatory political processes, governance frameworks and platforms for wider consultation. Sanjay Pulipaka has a substantive publication record with co-edited volumes, policy reports, numerous research papers and Op-Ed essays.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Praise for the Book

Foreword

Preface

Abbreviations

1. Introduction: China’s External Economic Engagement—An Overview
2. The BRI: Tiger with Wings
3. Intimate Souls in a Transactional Relationship
4. In Search of Profit Amidst Peril
5. China and the Emerald Island: Navigating Turbulence
6. The Disquiet in the Archipelago
7. The Himalayan Ambitions
8. From Inauspicious Beginnings to a Calibrated Engagement
9. Cooperation with Suspicion
10. Reaping Benefits without Friendship
11. Conclusion: Asymmetry and Geopolitics
Index