← All questionsGS2 · 2026 · International Relations ·BRI in South Asia
QUESTION 20
GS2
15 marks

“China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has transformed South Asia from a regional space into a theatre of great power competition.” Analyse the strategic implications of the BRI for India’s security and regional influence in South Asia.

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11 min
250 words
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What the examiner wants

Analyze how BRI infrastructure, finance and strategic access change India’s security environment and regional influence.

AnalyseBreak it into parts, show how the parts connect, and judge which matter most.

Demand-wise check

  1. 1How BRI changes connectivity, dependence and external strategic presence in India’s neighbourhood≈50 words
  2. 2Security implications: maritime access, dual-use concerns, territorial sensitivities and strategic encirclement perceptions≈50 words
  3. 3Influence implications: development competition, partner choices and India’s connectivity alternatives≈50 words
  4. 4Agency of smaller South Asian states and limits of the great-power-theatre thesis≈50 words

Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.

Answer plan

BRI mechanismsSecurity effectsInfluence effectsRegional-state agencyIndia response

Where marks usually go

  • Listing BRI projects without explaining strategic effect
  • Treating South Asian states as passive proxies

Value addition

  • South Asia map of corridors/maritime nodes
    → Draw it in the body, next to the point it supports.

Official source anchors

These are authoritative sources selected for this exact PYQ. Where a card is an official-domain anchor rather than a fact-level citation, verify the precise provision, definition or data point on the linked source before using it.