India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy and the Belt & Road Initiative (BRI)

The geopolitics of South Asia attracts both China and India. South Asia has been a region in which, for many years, India and China have tried to achieve political and economic influence. India’s forefront policy to deal with its neighbours since independence has been its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy. Even if there have been inconsistency and different approaches adopted by the Indian leadership to implement this policy in the region, India has always aimed to avoid major geopolitical changes in South Asia. However, the post-Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) engagement of China has challenged India’s position in the region. This article investigates India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy and evaluates its relevance with that of the BRI.