As Washington recalibrates its Indo-Pacific strategy amid intensifying rivalry with China, a key congressional commission will next month examine the larger role India can play in shaping the region's balance of power. The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission announced it will hold its first public hearing of the 2026 reporting cycle on February 17 in Washington, DC, focusing specifically on "India, China, and the Balance of Power in the Indo-Pacific."
Comprehensive Assessment of Geopolitical Dynamics
The hearing will conduct a thorough assessment of geopolitical, military, economic and technological aspects of India's relations with both China and the United States, examining their implications for US economic and national security interests. According to the Commission's official notice, the proceedings will specifically examine several critical areas that have emerged as flashpoints in regional geopolitics.
Border Tensions and Maritime Competition
The Commission will scrutinize ongoing India-China tensions over disputed territory, maritime access issues, and strategic competition in the Indian Ocean region. Additionally, the hearing will evaluate India's expanding role as an Indo-Pacific security actor, particularly as major American partners reassess US commitment to alliances and security guarantees across the region.
Commission members are expected to weigh how India's strategic location, growing military capabilities, and expanding regional partnerships factor into US efforts to limit China's influence across Asia. This examination comes at a particularly sensitive moment in international relations, occurring just days after India and the European Union signed a comprehensive free trade agreement that has been dubbed the "mother of all deals" by officials from both sides.
Economic and Technological Dimensions
The hearing will also probe the economic and technological dimensions of India-China relations, including:
- Trade and investment links between the two Asian giants
- India's drive for self-reliance in critical and emerging sectors
- Strategic competition in artificial intelligence development
- Semiconductor supply chain security
- Pharmaceutical manufacturing independence
These industries are viewed by Washington as central to long-term strategic competition with Beijing, making India's positioning in these sectors particularly significant for US policymakers.
Shifting Diplomatic Postures and Strategic Calculations
This congressional examination comes amid signs of a calibrated easing in India's posture toward China, reflected in several recent diplomatic developments. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Beijing for the SEO summit marked the first such high-level engagement in more than seven years, signaling a potential thaw in bilateral relations.
Additional indicators of this diplomatic recalibration include the reopening of airways that had been suspended for five years, and gradual steps allowing Chinese companies back into Indian investment and government procurement channels following the Galwan border standoff. These developments create a complex backdrop against which the Commission will assess India's strategic positioning.
US-India Partnership Under Review
Beyond examining Beijing-New Delhi dynamics, the Commission will review US policy efforts to strengthen its strategic partnership with India and assess how India's engagement with China could affect vital US economic and security interests in the years ahead. Over the past decade, the United States has invested significant diplomatic and military resources in cultivating India as a counterweight to China in the Indo-Pacific region.
However, since President Donald Trump's second term began, US-India relations have come under severe strain. Multiple factors have contributed to this tension, including:
- Reciprocal tariffs affecting bilateral trade
- Trump's repeated claims about alleged intervention in the India-Pakistan conflict during Operation SIndoor
- Diverging approaches to regional security architecture
These developments have pushed New Delhi to carefully calibrate its position with the United States while simultaneously raising questions in US policy circles about how firmly India can be anchored within an American-led security framework while maintaining its cherished strategic autonomy.
Strategic Timing and Broader Implications
The hearing takes place against a broader geopolitical shift and just weeks before President Donald Trump is scheduled to make a state visit to China in April 2026. This timing accentuates the delicate balance Washington is seeking between engagement, competition and deterrence in its China policy.
The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, created by Congress in 2000 under the National Defence Authorisation Act, is mandated to report annually on "the national security implications of the economic relationship between the United States and the People's Republic of China." Its findings are closely watched on Capitol Hill and often influence critical debates on trade policy, technology controls, and security policy related to China and the broader Indo-Pacific region.
As global power dynamics continue to evolve, this hearing represents a significant moment for assessing how India's growing economic strength, military capabilities, and diplomatic maneuvering will shape the future balance of power in a region that has become the central arena for great power competition in the 21st century.
