China & India in Asia: Paving the Way for a New Balance of Power

It is, of course, too early to propose an assessment of the final impact of the Chinese and Indian ascents on the world affairs, as their rise is still an ongoing process and is still eroding the foundation of the current international system. The dynamic side of the question makes us risk both risks of under- and overestimation of China and India’s future influence. China and India have gained considerable weight in Asian affairs, to the point that, in the Chinese case, one might wonder about the possibility for a future power transition at the regional level, with the United States in the unenviable role of the declining power. Chinese and Indian expanding interests outside the narrow limits of the Asian region have also grown, mainly thanks to their surging needs for energy and raw materials. This book provides reliable information which indicate the ground trends for the rising competition between China and India.