Strategic Trap: India Must Weigh Risks of China’s RIC Push
EAM S Jaishankar with China's President Xi Jinping, and PM Narendra Modi with US President Donald Trump! (Images X.com)
As China calls for a revival of the Russia-India-China trilateral format, India must tread cautiously amid shifting alliances, border tensions, and the lure of Western partnerships.
By MANISH ANAND
NEW DELHI, July 18, 2025 — Amid fluid geopolitics, China’s call to revive the long-dormant trilateral cooperation with India and Russia has sparked fresh interest among strategic commentators. What has surprised many is India’s seemingly warm response to the idea.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently expressed enthusiastic support for revitalizing the trilateral dialogue among the three Eurasian powers. According to the Ministry, Russia-India-China (RIC) cooperation benefits not only the three nations involved but also contributes to global peace, security, and stability. Beijing added that it is willing to maintain communication with both Moscow and New Delhi to advance trilateral collaboration.
China’s praise for the trilateral format is unsurprising. The idea resurfaced during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers’ meeting, hosted by China—an organization often seen as a geopolitical extension of Beijing’s influence.
This renewed push also comes against the backdrop of growing friction between BRICS countries and Western alliances such as NATO, a shifting U.S. foreign policy under Donald Trump, and worsening energy contradictions in Europe.
While the SCO and BRICS have existed as platforms for dialogue, they have delivered little in tangible outcomes for India. India’s gains from either group remain limited, and participating more deeply in a revived trilateral could risk India playing second fiddle to China’s ambitions of becoming a global superpower.
Just weeks ago, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar acknowledged the strategic potential of the Russia-India-China (RIC) format. He called it a platform “worthy of reviving in the interest of global multipolarity and regional cooperation.” The RIC format, active in the early 2000s, has largely been sidelined in recent years due to India-China border tensions and India’s deepening strategic ties with the U.S.-led Quad.
But with Russia now vilified in the West due to its war in Ukraine—justified by Moscow with historical references dating as far back as 1250 AD—India risks undermining the strategic gains it has made with the U.S. in areas such as technology, intelligence sharing, and remittances.
Russia is now seen as a pariah by much of the Western bloc. China, meanwhile, is locked in ongoing trade conflicts with NATO economies. India has for years walked a fine diplomatic line, carefully balancing its relations with all three poles. However, rekindling the trilateral dialogue poses a high-risk, low-reward proposition for New Delhi.
Consider this: China runs an annual trade surplus exceeding $100 billion with India, even while it reportedly hinders the “Make in India” campaign. Russia, for its part, remains an energy-dependent economy with limited innovation in future-facing industries.
India’s aspirations to become a global technology leader are unlikely to find support in either China or Russia. On the other hand, Nordic countries are fast emerging as front-runners in quantum computing and clean technologies. Their priorities, along with those of the U.S. and Europe, align far more closely with India’s innovation and sustainability goals.
At a time when global alliances are being redefined, India must ask a hard question: does the revival of the trilateral format serve its long-term national interest, or merely prop up China’s geopolitical script?
(This is an opinion piece, and views expressed are those of the author only)
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