SOFT-BALANCING AND COALITION-BUILDING: INDIA'S RESPONSE TO CHINA'S RISE IN THE INDO-PACIFIC

Abstract

India's strategic approach to managing China's ascendancy in the Indo-Pacific region represents a complex and multifaceted framework that combines soft-balancing tactics across multilateral forums with active coalition-building through minilateral partnerships and strategic bilateral relationships. Unlike traditional hard balancing strategies that rely on military build-up and formal alliances, India has developed a nuanced approach termed "zone balancing" by strategist Arzan Tarapore (2023), which seeks to shape the regional environment by strengthening the capacity and resilience of third-party states to resist coercion while maintaining strategic autonomy and avoiding direct military confrontation with Beijing. This approach has become increasingly sophisticated following the 2020 Galwan Valley clash, marking a watershed moment in India's China strategy that catalyzed a shift from tentative engagement toward more assertive countermeasures across multiple strategic domains.