Vol. 7, Issue 2, Part E (2025)

This paper examines the evolving strategic triangle between United States, India and China in the emerging world order characterized by Multipolarism and a shift of power from Atlantic to Asia. The study argues that China has become the focal point or the pivot in the strategic triangle of Asia, which, in turn, is bringing United States and India closer for the containment of China. The paper examines how this triangle differs from Cold War models of strategic triangle, where complex interdependence and overlapping spheres of influence persist among the three nations of the triangle. The research explores how each nation in the triangle manages its own rise and protects its national interests while appreciating interdependence among each other. It also examines how Indian foreign policy of strategic autonomy and multi-alignment deals with the US policy of containing China and China’s ambition for hegemony in Asia without entering into a formal alliance with USA.
The study concludes with the significance of Asian geopolitics in the emerging world order and the centrality of balance of power politics in the strategic triangle of India, the US and China. The future of the strategic triangle will depend on how these nations manage their rivalry without escalation through balance of power and economic interdependence.