Will India and Asean counterbalance China?

As China continues its inexorable rise, global strategists are increasingly looking – anxiously – to India. Why?
Many are hoping that India, with its huge population and roaring gross domestic product (GDP) growth, is likely to become a competitor to its northern neighbour.
In geopolitical terms, the Indians are expected to stand up to Chinese expansion in the Indian Ocean (in the guise of the Belt and Road Initiative).
Indeed, this week the Association of South-east Asian Nations (…