After a decline in Sino-Indian relations, which appears unlikely to improve in the near term, India has maintained a subtle foreign policy approach in its relationship with China while deepening its relationship with Australia and other regional partners.

Key points:

• After a decline in Sino-Indian relations, India is deepening its relationship with Australia and other regional partners.
• India maintains a subtle foreign policy approach in its relationship with China to avoid angering the country further.
• While India is reluctant to publicly declare its support for Australia, it is likely to demonstrate its preferences through increased strategic and economic engagement.
• Bilateral cooperation between Australia and India has been on a steady growth trajectory and is expected to intensify as improvement in Sino-Indian relations seems unlikely.