As the saying goes, "if you are not careful, you will lose everything", and today's India is constantly offending its neighbors and putting itself in the situation of "multi-faceted printing". It can be said that India could have made a good game of chess as long as it did the right way, but the Modi government made a mistake in decision-making and lost this good game.
As India's neighbor, Bangladesh recently announced plans to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). This has sparked discontent in India, and the Indian government has even threatened to reconsider negotiations on a free trade agreement with Bangladesh if Bangladesh insists on joining the RCEP.
Bangladesh wants to use RCEP to expand trade and achieve rapid economic development
What India means is that if you join someone else's "friend zone", then don't want to play with me anymore. Everyone can see that there is a strong "childish spirit" in it.
In fact, in addition to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, another country in India, is also preparing to join the RCEP, and it is also under pressure from India.
As we can see from the experiences of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, India does not want its neighbors to be in contact with its rivals. To that end, India will adopt a great-power chauvinistic approach to its neighbours and coerce them to comply with India's wishes.
Under the influence of this diplomatic orientation, India cannot stop offending its neighbors, either by breaking out border conflicts with Pakistan and other neighbors, or by overreacting to the normal exchanges between Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and other neighboring countries and China.
As a matter of fact, India, as a big country in South Asia, originally had ample potential and advantages, and became the de facto leader in South Asia. But judging from the current situation, India does not want to be a leader, but wants to be a hegemon and exercise strong control over its neighbors.
A good game of chess is screwed up by the Indian government, and it is difficult for India to become a convincing country in the South Asian region.
The Kashmir issue is a major obstacle to India's friendship with its neighbors
What are India's problems?
First, if India is to establish its prestige in South Asia, it must unite the countries of South Asia and promote their integration process. However, the deep contradictions between India and Pakistan have made it much more difficult for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, or SAARC, to cooperate with each other.
In this case, India has chosen to create a small circle in South Asia to exclude Pakistan, however, this small circle lacks arms and legs to truly exert influence in South Asia. Let's look at one statistic: South Asian countries have only about 5% of intraregional trade, compared to 12% in Africa, and South Asia is not comparable to Southeast Asia and Europe.
It is difficult for South Asia to integrate, and India bears a great deal of responsibility.
Second, China's radiation scope is getting bigger and bigger, and South Asian countries have gained development opportunities in their exchanges with China, and India is obviously "nervous" about this, and has repeatedly hyped up China's normal exchanges with South Asian countries as "China's conspiracy."
In India's eyes, China's moves are aimed at squeezing out India in South Asia. However, India should be clear that it is India itself that does not have the ability to give these countries a bowl of rice to eat, and it has to beat the bowl of these countries. Such an approach would obviously cause India to lose more support.
The Modi government's admiration for hegemony in South Asia actually lacks a strategic vision for a higher picture
In addition, in the context of Sino-US competition, India intends to use the power of the United States to confront China, and has signed a series of security agreements with the United States. India has lured the wolf into the room, putting South Asia at risk of becoming a "gladiatorial arena for great power competition".
In this process, South Asian countries will inevitably be pressured by India and the United States, and even face the difficult problem of choosing sides, which has brought great challenges to the foreign policies of South Asian countries, and their perception of India will only continue to deteriorate.
All in all, India wants to be the leader in South Asia, but it does not want to take on more responsibilities, let alone respect the sovereignty and will of its neighbors.
India is not innocent in its "multi-faceted printing" situation, and the latest developments in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are another wake-up call.