Strategic Competition between the U.S and China: Implications for South Asia's Security Architecture

The growing strategic battle between the United States and China is now an order of the day among modern international relations and has played a major role in determining the geopolitical and security context of South Asia. This paper looks into the impacts of the dynamic U.S.-China rivalry on the South Asia security setup, including military, economic, and diplomatic aspects of the setup. Using a qualitative research design, the study analyzes the content of the policy documents, the regional security reports, and the literature of scholars. The research examines how the major states in South Asia, especially India, Pakistan, and smaller states in the region, can manage to balance between the competing powers of Washington and Beijing. The results indicate that the strategic rivalry has not only increased polarization of the region but also intensified arms races and reformed alliances patterns, and provided small states with few avenues to employ the great power rivalry to gain national benefits. The article ends by stating that the long-term stability of South Asia is based on a balance between external interactions and the regional cooperation strategies, which help in reducing the risks of great power rivalry.