Why India isn’t winning the contest with China

A series of setbacks suggest that new policies are needed

The pilot’s tower at Colombo port, in Sri Lanka’s capital, provides a telling snapshot of India’s struggle with China in South Asia. To the east lie the berths where Indian and Chinese warships often dock, a port official explains. Southwards sits the Chinese-operated container terminal that was an early part of China’s Belt and Road plan. Next door, to the west, is where India’s Adani Group is building another terminal which, in 2023, won $553m of American government funding.

This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Subcontinental drift”

From the February 8th 2025 edition

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