CPA UK and the British Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (BGIPU) have hosted foreign policy experts from London think-tank, Chatham House, for a panel discussion on China-India relations.

The event held on 17 June was attended by UK parliamentarians, clerks, and officials involved in foreign policy. 

India and China are the two most populated countries in the world and are home to nearly 40% of the world’s population between them. The relationship between these two emerging powers is likely to be a defining feature of the 21st century.    

The event was based on Chatham House’s recent research paper, which argues that India-China relations are often misunderstood outside the region. It suggests that, while the two nations are geopolitical rivals, they also share similar worldviews, with both seeing themselves as “civilizational states” and leaders of the Global South.  

The paper states that India’s alignment with the West will remain limited due to its preference for strategic autonomy. However, it also suggests that India’s outlook is more 'non-Western' than 'anti-Western'. This offers opportunities for constructive engagement with the UK and its allies to prevent platforms like BRICS from becoming China-dominated.    

Authors of the report, Dr Chietigj Bajpaee and Dr Yu Jie, gave an overview of the paper’s findings, and then discussed the topic with those who attended. The conversation included India & China’s relations with other South Asian countries, and the impact of US policy towards both countries.   

Chatham House experts talk to Westminster parliamentarians