Why are two arch-enemies praising Modi's new India?

In a span of around four months, two of its bitter enemies – Pakistan and China -- have heaped praise on India’s economic and scientific achievements, as well as its rising global stature. While diplomatic ties between Islamabad and New Delhi nosedived over the latter’s withdrawal of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019, China has been locked in a protracted border row with India in the Himalayas.A column published in China’s state-run Global Times has highlighted India’s “great achievements in economic development and social governance”. The opinion piece written by Zhang Jiadong, who is director of the Center for South Asian Studies at Fudan University, also talks about how India’s “domestic and foreign situation” have changed tremendously within a few years, and how New Delhi’s “great power strategy has moved from dream to reality” under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Last month, former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made a scathing remark on the state of affairs in his own country, saying, while countries like India “reached the Moon while we could not rise from the Earth… who is responsible for this?”China sings paeans to India’s riseTouching upon India’s economic progress, the Global Times piece says its “economy has gained momentum and is on track to becoming one of the fastest-growing major economies”.The author, Zhang, says he visited India recently. During his interaction with Indian representatives, “their attitude toward Chinese scholars was more relaxed and moderate, instead of being stubborn at times. For example, when discussing the "trade imbalance" between China and India, Indian scholars used to primarily focus on China's measures to reduce the trade imbalance. “But now they are placing more emphasis on India's export potential, actively seeking to reduce the trade deficit with China by taking the initiative and increasing Chinese imports from India,” he writes.According to Zhang, India has created a distinct “Bharat narrative”, which has made the South Asian country strategically more confident. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MY56hgRHtk“In the diplomatic sphere, India has rapidly shifted toward a great power strategy. Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed power, he has advocated for a multi-alignment strategy, promoting India's relations with the US, Japan, Russia and other countries and regional organizations. “India’s strategic thinking in foreign policy has undergone another change and is clearly moving toward a great power strategy. Regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict, India has distanced itself from the West and aligned itself more closely to the developing world. At the same time, India's reservations about Western powers have significantly diminished, and its activities within Western countries have become more frequent, extending beyond organizing large-scale diaspora events,” he says.The Chinese scholar noted India has moved from emphasizing its democratic consensus with the West to highlighting the “Indian feature” of democratic politics. He also highlighted how India is trying to change its image - from what he terms a “political dwarf”, resulting from its history as a colony , to a “world mentor” both politically and culturally. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r Zhang cites an event hosted by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations last month to drive home his point. The first-ever ‘Knowledge India Visitors Programme’ brought together more than 77 scholars from 35 countries, he says. “India no longer only regards cultural tradition as a channel to achieve its own interests or as a symbol to attract foreign tourists, but also sees it as one of the pillars of India's status as a great power,” Zhang opines.He signs off by saying, “It appears that a transformed, stronger, and more assertive India has become a new geopolitical factor that many countries need to consider.”How Pakistan went gaga over Chandrayaan-3Last August, common Pakistanis admired India’s economic and scientific achievements as reflected in the successful Chandrayaan-3 mission. Pakistan is currently battling its worst economic crisis in decades.India created history by being the first country to land on Moon’s south pole on August 23. It was the third lunar exploration mission under Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Chandrayaan programme.TOI+ columnist Hasan Suroor wrote, “…following India’s entry into the exclusive club of space superpowers, Pakistani social media has been flush with comments contrasting Pakistan’s collapse with Delhi’s rising economic and technological heft.“Even the country’s notoriously jingoistic TV anchors and YouTubers seem to have had a Damascene conversion — openly calling their country a failed state and accusing politicians and the mullah class for the mess it is in.“I’ve never heard such publicly candid admission by Pakistanis of their country’s failures. Even comparatively outspoken Pakistanis tend to be cautious when speaking in public, and rarer still is praising India in the same breath as criticising Pakistan. This new candour is unprecedented.” (Read the full column) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU8_U2i6wIsEven Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, when asked to comment on the successful Chandrayaan 3 mission, said, “I can only say that it is a great scientific achievement, for which ISRO scientists deserve appreciation.”A Dawn editorial said Pakistan has to learn a lot from India’s space programme. “Perhaps the key to the success of India’s space programme, apart from sustained state support, is the quality and dedication of its engineers and scientists who helped make these difficult missions possible.“Comparisons are indeed odious, but there may be plenty for Pakistan to learn from India’s space success. Pakistan’s space programme was launched before India’s and managed modest success, such as launching a rocket in the early 1960s under the watch of luminaries such as Dr Abdus Salam,” it said.