Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said Sunday, October 4, that the United States has "deliberately become a lonelier power," describing a global order increasingly reshaped by Washington's own choices and China's continued rise, while speaking at the Munich Leaders Meeting in New Delhi.
What Jaishankar Said
"No one in the room would disagree with the fact that the landscape today is primarily marked by a radical repositioning of the United States... A repositioning, which is a posture of choice and, in a way, it has deliberately become a lonelier power," Jaishankar said. He framed the shift explicitly as a deliberate policy choice rather than a circumstance the US had simply drifted into, adding: "And we are looking at very sharp competition."
China's Role in the Shifting Order
Jaishankar identified China's rise as the other defining feature of the changing global landscape, noting that China now accounts for roughly one-third of global manufacturing, and that this economic strength is translating directly into political influence on the world stage.
The "Weaponisation" of Leverage
Jaishankar said the resulting US-China competition isn't confined to Washington and Beijing alone — it has pushed other countries to use whatever leverage they have at their disposal, a dynamic he described as the "weaponisation" of that leverage across the broader international system.
How Smaller and Middle Powers Are Responding
Jaishankar said countries are increasingly forming partnerships based on specific shared interests rather than broad ideological alliances, developing new organizations and habits of cooperation suited to a more fragmented world. He described this flexibility, resilience, and diversification among emerging and middle powers as a defining feature of what he called an "evolving global order."
The "Complexity of Interdependence"
Even amid sharpening rivalry, Jaishankar pointed to what he called the "complexity of interdependence" between nations — the reality that even competing powers remain deeply economically and strategically intertwined, complicating any simple narrative of clean separation between blocs.
A Recurring Theme in Jaishankar's Recent Remarks
This isn't the first time Jaishankar has made this argument in recent days. Speaking separately at an event in Kolkata, where he received an honorary doctorate from IIM Calcutta, he said the global order was becoming "less rule-bound and more fragmented," with the US "recasting its terms of engagement" while China "doubles down on operating by its own rules" — leaving many nations uncertain whether to prepare for direct competition between the two powers or navigate the trade-offs between them.
A Concrete Example: Energy
Illustrating the shift, Jaishankar pointed to energy markets specifically: "When it comes to energy, the US has gone from being a major importer to a significant exporter of fossil fuels. At the same time, China dominates the world of renewables," he said — a reversal of roles that he framed as emblematic of the broader structural changes reshaping global power dynamics.
What This Means for India's Strategy
Jaishankar said India is responding to this turbulent landscape by strengthening its "comprehensive national power," reducing external vulnerabilities, and expanding its global influence. He emphasized that technology, trade, and talent mobility have become central pillars of modern diplomacy, with India's own rise increasingly tied to securing meaningful access across these domains. He added: "A major power, that too, one with higher aspirations like us, must have a significant industrial base," pointing to India's digital public infrastructure, expanding connectivity, and push for advanced manufacturing as capabilities that will define the country's ability to navigate an increasingly unsettled world.
Part of a Longer-Standing Worldview
Jaishankar's comments build on views he has articulated for years, including in his book The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World, in which he argued the global order is moving toward multipolarity driven by shifting balances of power, and that the nature of power itself is changing as technology and trade assume increasingly critical roles alongside traditional military and economic measures.
What's Next
With Jaishankar continuing to press this framing across multiple public appearances in recent days, his remarks are likely to feed into ongoing debate among policymakers and analysts about how middle powers like India should position themselves amid intensifying US-China rivalry. For continuing coverage, see the full Business Today report.