Challenges of China’s Belt and Road Initiative : An Analysis on India’s Approach

As part of its attempt to build stronger politico-strategic ties and economically integrate with countries across continents, China has put forward a grand strategy that is officially termed as the ‘One Belt, One Road’ (OBOR), then changed into the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI).As China seeks to expand its presence and influence in South Asia with the BRI, a clash of strategic interests with India is predetermined. This article firstlybrief the BRI itself and more with its reception in China and abroadby underlining the BRI’s fuzzy nature, and then giving examples of the ways it has been received in China, around China and in the world. Next, the article tries to explain the reasons behind the enthusiastic response though not always positive to the BRI and point to the broad historical perspective that provides the context. Finally, the article gives an analysis on how Indiaexpressed its concern and response to the Chinese discourse on the BRI.Challenging the view of BRI as a threat, the article is toidentify the possibility of understanding Chinese power as related to the strengthening of a cooperative behavior between China and India as well as countries through the development of Chinese norms within the BRI.