India’s military has conducted its first tri-service exercise in the northeast Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as South Tibet. The Poorvi Prachand Prahar drills come even as New Delhi seeks to mitigate the damage of Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs by expanding its economic and diplomatic ties with Beijing. Meanwhile, India and US signed a 10-year defense framework on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting in Malaysia. How is New Delhi navigating the policy uncertainties of US President Donald Trump’s second term? And do these developments indicate a shift in India’s decades-long policy of non-alignment? In today’s episode, we hear from two leading Indian scholars about the Arunachal exercise, India’s regional relationships, and what it means for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. Our guests: Swasti Rao O.P. Jindal Global University Associate Dean and Associate Professor ThePrint Consulting Editor Sriparna Pathak O.P. Jindal Global University Professor and Centre for Northeast Asian Studies Director Chapters: 00:00:00 – India Focuses on Defense Amid Tensions 00:00:55 – India Conducts Drills Near China Border 00:11:23 – How Should India React to Incursion? 00:12:31 – US and India’s ‘Strategic Convergence’
