Under President Xi Jinping, China has grown more militaristic, aggressive, and hostile. It pursues the greatest industrial genocide since the Holocaust against its Uyghur population, practices Taiwan’s conquest, and uses fictional claims to encroach upon its neighbors in the East and South China Seas.

But while the United States increasingly supports Taiwan and bolsters Australia’s defense capabilities, ignoring India will likely condemn any counter-China strategy to failure. Of the 14 countries that border China (21 if maritime boundaries are included), India is the only one that holds its own militarily. That it does so with just one-third the size of China’s defense budget — $74 billion to $225 billion — is impressive.