US Charts 21st Century China Challenge, Seeks Conditional India Partnership

In its Agency Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2026-2030, the State Department says: "How the United States responds to the rise of China will be the defining story of the 21st century."

It adds that this challenge stems "not only to the global nature of economic competition, but to the US' own national interests in the Indo-Pacific."

The document underscores the region's centrality. "Asia is already the source of nearly half of the world's gross domestic product by some estimates, and crucial sea lanes and supply chains crisscross the region," it states.

It also affirms: "We are unambiguous that regional peace and stability benefit the United States irrespective of competition with countries such as China."

Against that backdrop, India is mentioned directly. The plan states: "We will seek partnership with growing regional economies such as India, but on terms that advance US security and economic interests and avoid repeating past mistakes."

The strategy outlines a dual-track approach. Economically, Washington will "advance an economic system in the Indo-Pacific that is both free from external coercion and open to the American people."

It pledges to support "US reindustrialisation through broad commercial advocacy efforts, the development of secure and resilient supply chains, and the spread of American and trusted alternatives to Chinese-created dependencies."

It also signals tougher trade enforcement. The United States will "identify and counter attempts to evade US tariffs through third-country transshipment."

On the security front, the document calls for a "favorable military balance in the Indo-Pacific to keep the trade routes free and open and to deter aggression." It notes that China has undertaken "an unprecedented military buildup which the United States must highlight publicly and remain prepared to counter."

At the same time, the plan says Washington "desires neither war nor regime change" and will "consistently seek open lines of communication with China and means to reduce misunderstandings and risks."

The strategy emphasises alliances. The United States will "seek closer economic and military ties with Indo-Pacific allies and partners that benefit US strength, not which come at our expense."

It also points to mechanisms such as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue to "drive American and allied regional priorities and counter attempts by China to establish a hostile and exclusionary economic system."

The plan links economic statecraft and national security. It says the United States will "rescue our industries from unfair trade practices and illegitimate competition" and "firmly reestablish America as the economic and technological juggernaut of the 21st century."

The Indo-Pacific has become the primary theatre of strategic competition between Washington and Beijing over the past decade, with trade, technology, supply chains, and military posture at the centre of tensions.

- IANS