Modern Tecnological Rivals or partners - Essay Example

As a result, India has become politically and economically more influential in the region in the past ten years. However, trade among the South East Asian nations and India has not been balanced. In early 2003, trade talks stalled; its trade agreements with individual nations have proceeded smoothly, but with the entire ASEAN group reaching agreement has been difficult. In order for India to accomplish internal reforms, it needs allies and trade with its neighbors (Hong, 2007, p. 129). Smaller economies in the region want to protect themselves from being flooded with cheaper Indian goods, so India has had difficulty leveraging trade agreements with all nations in the region.

Smaller economies want balanced trade. China, obviously, has great influence in Asia, not only because of its land mass but because of its position in global politics and economics. China has ramped up trade with everyone across the world and as a result, its economy and clout have increased as India’s has been decreasing. In response, India has increased its relationships with Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, both through the ASEAN and the BIMSTEC coalitions.

However, India is not currently powerful enough to threaten these nations’ relationships with China (Hong, 2007, p. 133). For its part, China would prefer to work with India rather than see it rise as a power in its own right. Encouraging interdependent economies and setting aside political differences would stabilize the entire region. Overall, India, China, and the ASEAN nations have similar political views and all three are attempting to increase global trade (Hong, 2007, p. 138). This introduces a competition among them as each entity tries to balance internal growth, regional partnerships, and the need to establish themselves in the global economy.

To resolve the situation, it is in the best interests of all to strengthen partnerships. Hong’s