ASSESSMENTS

China's Weight Pulls India and Japan Closer Together

Jun 9, 2017 | 00:08 GMT

Led by premiers Narendra Modi (l) and Shinzo Abe, India and Japan have boosted their partnerships in several strategic areas, a process that is sure to continue in the future.

(FRANCK ROBICHON/AFP/Getty Images)

More than 2,000 years ago, a scholar at the king's court in northern India composed a seminal document known as the "Arthashastra." It was a lesson on statecraft and was subtle enough that the man himself, Kautilya, is sometimes referred to as the Indian Machiavelli. One of the document's key takeaways was this: "Your neighbor is your natural enemy and the neighbor's neighbor is your friend." Today, whether they have read his works or not, Kautilya's Indian descendants are still following his advice: As neighboring China's growing influence causes increasing concern, India is reaching out to forge new links with its neighbor's neighbor, Japan....