Xi's 5-point action plan for Brics may see red flags go up in India

In fact, the rush of free trade agreements India has signed is partly driven by the strategy to diversify imports and govt's push to tap demand for Indian products through lower tariffs and reduced entry barriers.Ever since India walked out of RCEP in Nov 2019, fearing it would have to open the floodgates to Chinese imports, trade deals have become a crucial policy tool for India. It was China's dominance in RCEP that finally prompted India to opt out of the agreement, given that it had trade deals with countries such as Japan, South Korea and Asean members. Since then, India's portfolio has expanded to include FTAs with Australia, New Zealand, UAE, the UK, the EU and EFTA nations.The president's AI push in his five-point action plan, proposed Sunday, is among the biggest fears, given concerns about Chinese players and their development model. The push for Chinese LLMs, part of the proposals, is a sure-shot red flag and will be seen as an attempt to infiltrate countries amid global scrutiny of Chinese apps and technologies. India itself has blocked several apps and is on guard when it comes to allowing technologies in China-made cameras and other devices.Similarly, policymakers will be sceptical over the Chinese push for the SEZ initiative and the pitch to upgrade factories, especially when Belt and Road Initiative turned into a plan to corner key projects and use the funding to arm-twist governments into giving up control over the assets.

Source: Times of India September 13, 2026 20:50 UTC