India and China are two of the most populous countries in the world and have been the center of the world for much of history including culture, trade, knowledge, and technology. In recent years, India has been making significant gains in development, and it is now poised to eclipse China in a number of areas as it has just surpassed China in population this past April. In 2022, India's economy grew more than China’s with a rate of 7%, while China was at a 3% increase from the previous year, missing its projection of 5.5% as the world came out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This was the weakest performance for China since 1976 according to the World Economic Forum. India is also investing heavily in infrastructure, such as roads, railways, hospitals, and airports. This is helping to improve the country's connectivity and bringing it to the level of China. China has built a world-class infrastructure network, and India is heading in the same direction.
India is also an ascending global leader in technology represented by the recent Chandrayaan-3 lunar lander on the Moon, while at the grassroots level, India is improving in education and integration. India is also a major hub for software development and IT services. China and India in history have been cosmopolitan and India’s rich and diverse culture is gaining attention from the world as it is more accessible due to language.
There are numerous challenges facing both India and China. These include poverty, corruption, inequality, and severe environmental issues due to extraction. Concerning China, it has been highly effective at meeting this challenge and astonishing the world, but this is largely because Chinese culture and history are little known.
It has a history of integration, non-aggression, and high development; however, both countries need to address environmental problems, particularly extraction from nature and subsequent urbanization, air (water, soil) pollution, water scarcity, and then the effects of climate change. If India can overcome many challenges, it will be well-positioned to head for the number three position on GDP and even towards an eco-civilization as the Chinese have already articulated at the academic level.
India is a rising power that is making significant gains in development, economics, culture, and population. The country is poised to eclipse China in a number of areas in the coming years and perhaps surpass China in the future due to demographics and development and is already becoming a major global power.
Jan Krikke is a correspondent for the Asia Times, Bangkok, and his new book is entitled “When India Eclipses China
Layne Hartsell is a research professor at the Asia Institute Berlin/Tokyo in Energy, Economy, Environment (3E) and is a board member at the Korea IT Times.
