India: the next superpower
East 43 and with Saudi Arabia. 44 As India tries to exert influence in those regions and beyond, it will increasingly come into conflict with China, which will protect its interests and the influence it has already established. Already, India’s relationship with China is an uneasy one. 45
In conclusion, whilst India undoubtedly has the potential to become a global superpower, it is not yet inevitable that it will do so. India’s demographics are ideal. It is the most populous country in the world, with a large youthful population. It is the 5 th largest economy in the world, even though it has high levels of unemployment, under-employment, illiteracy and poverty. With continued investment in infrastructure, human capital and AgTech, it can thrive. However, it also faces huge challenges: the creation of skilled jobs and the education and training of the workers required to fill them; social divisions and, in particular, poverty, inequality and misogyny; political corruption; and a China concerned to retain its supremacy.
Consulted 19/8/24. 43 Kevin Huggard and Natan Sachs, ‘Israel and the Middle East Amid U.S.-China Competition,’ Brookings , July 20, 2020, https://www.brookings.edu/articles/israel-and-the-middle-east-amid-u-s-china-competition/. Consulted 19/8/24. 44 Bruce Riedel, ‘Saudi Arabia’s Relations With China: Functional, but Not Strategic,’ Brookings , July 20, 2020, https://www.brookings.edu/articles/saudi-arabias-relations-with-china-functional-but-not-strategic/. Consulted 19/8/24. 45 India and China have already clashed along the disputed border that they share – see India-China dispute: The border row explained in 400 words - BBC News.
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