Rising China's Policy Towards South Asia:From Limited Interactions To Proactive Engagement

The conduct and content of China's foreign policy towards South Asia has undergone a remarkable transformation over the last few decades.From being a relatively marginal player in South Asian regional affairs,China today is proactively engaged in South Asia.China's increasingly sophisticated regional policies are driven by multiple factors,including the United States rising interests and efforts in developing a strategic relationship with India in response to China's continued rise as an economic,political and military power;China's own need to maintain the momentum of its economic growth;and for ensuring development and stability in its western regions,all necessary components for achieving the Chinese dream of National rejuvenation.In the pursuit of China's 'national interest,' in the region,I argue that the current diplomatic practice of the PRC has highly prioritized the notion of reassurance and cooperative engagement to ensure stable and peaceful regional environment by increasing interaction and interdependence between and amongst regional states in South Asia.The goal of this strategy is to create a situation in which states would not feel threatened by China rise to make counter preparations that could exacerbate the security dilemma.Therefore,reassurance and mutual cooperation offer a high level of policy coordination,close communication and diplomatic synchronization.In doing so China has employed and promoted both bilateral as well as multilateral diplomacy in its dealing with South Asian states.