Russia-China-India Alliance Taking Shape

A deep alignment between Russia, China and India is taking shape, which marks a major triumph for Moscow and Beijing and a strategic loss for the United States, the National Security Journal wrote on July 18.

The three-way partnership is driven by:

• Russia’s increasing need for backing amid its war against Ukraine.
• China’s aim to defuse longstanding tensions with India so it can focus elsewhere, including on Taiwan.
• India’s ambition for greater strategic autonomy from the West, particularly in light of the increasing trade pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration.

As these priorities converge, the three nations are forming a Russia-China-India troika. And with a combined 3 billion people generating 22 percent of global gross domestic product and fueled by a common anti-American vision, this bloc could reshape the geopolitical landscape in Asia—and beyond.

India’s In?

The partnering of Russia and China has been alarmingly evident for years now. But India’s interest in banding together with them was long in doubt. The world’s most populous nation has always demanded strategic autonomy, even as the U.S. and Russia each labored to pull it into their orbits. And during his 11 years at nation’s helm, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has built a reputation for deftly balancing India between the two.

In recent years, though, Modi has increasingly tilted India toward Russia. This has included diplomatic support and major energy purchases that bankroll Russia’s war. Now, with the Trump administration’s erratic tariff policy threatening India’s economic growth and increasing tensions with America, India’s posture toward Russia has moved from cautious tilt to active alignment.

An even bigger obstacle for India was its decades-long rivalry with China, largely over their shared border. But five years have passed since the last flare-up of the border disagreement, and India understands it is ill-equipped to engage China as an open adversary. It also understands that alignment with Russia—in pursuit of strategic autonomy—requires a working relationship with China. So Modi made a landmark decision last October to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping face-to-face.

Given the level of tensions at this time, neither side would have dreamed of traveling to the other’s territory. So they met on “neutral ground” in Kazan, Russia—on the territory of the only power that can unite these two rivals. Modi agreed to cede some Himalayan ground to China, giving Beijing de facto control over disputed areas along the border. And in light of the Trump administration’s growing pressure, the Indians appear willing to maintain this more conciliatory approach toward China.

This was evident earlier this month when a group of Indian dignitaries made a high-profile visit to Beijing—the first at such a level in five years. Led by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, the Indians pledged to improve India-China trade ties, reset diplomatic relations, and further de-escalate border tensions. “We have made good progress in the past nine months toward the normalization of our bilateral relations,” Jaishankar told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. “Since our leaders’ meeting in Kazan in October 2024, the India-China relationship has been gradually moving in a positive direction. Our responsibility is to maintain that momentum.”

This morning, India pushed that momentum forward by resuming tourist visas for Chinese citizens after a five-year gap. The South China Morning Post called the move the “latest sign of a thaw between the two neighbors.”

Mighty India’s willingness to align with Russia and China means “Moscow and Beijing are on the verge of a major geopolitical victory,” the National Security Journal wrote. “A new strategic ‘troika’ aligning Russia, China and India … is becoming a fundamental factor in Asian and global politics.”

Russia Reaps the Rewards

Though China and India both stand to benefit considerably from the emerging bloc, the report emphasizes that the main victor is Russia—and its leader, Vladimir Putin.

• For 30 years, the Russians have been attempting to build a Russia-China-India alliance.
• Putin is poised to gain greater international standing as the leader and “balancer” of the trio.
• Russia will receive greater acknowledgment of being a major player in the Asian region.
• Putin will gain greater support from the world’s two most populous nations, at a time when he needs help with the war on Ukraine, as well as future wars on other lands in Russia’s periphery.

Some analysts have been surprised to see this troika take shape—especially considering India’s history of rivalry with China. But the Trumpet and our forerunner, the Plain Truth, have warned for more than six decades that these Asian nations would join forces in the modern era. “Russia’s program is not to take Europe and to attack the United States, first. [Instead it] calls first for the seizure of Asia,” the December 1959 issue of the Plain Truth stated. “[Russian leaders] will ultimately control not only the Russian states, but China … and India as well!”

We have maintained this forecast because our analysis is founded on biblical prophecy. Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry explained in “Asia Still Stands With Putin” from the May-June 2022 issue:

Two of the largest, most populous, most powerful nations in the world are supporting Putin! This is a stunning fulfillment of a biblical prophecy! …

As I explain in The Prophesied ‘Prince of Russia,’ Ezekiel 38:2 foretold the Russian power we now see rising, led by a rō’š nāśî’ (or “prince of Russia”). This scripture also mentions “the land of Magog,” which includes modern China and other nations. This indicates that this Russian leader will rally other Asian peoples behind Moscow.

The prophecy Ezekiel recorded was for the end time. It specifies that Russia will be the leader of this massive Asian alliance. That is a key to understanding today’s geopolitics.

Other Bible prophecies strongly suggest that India will also unite with these Eastern nations. … Another key scripture to understand is Revelation 9:16, a prophecy that the end-time “kings of the east” Asian power bloc will field the largest military in history. It comes from the same regions described in Ezekiel 38, and China, India and Russia have the only populations that could produce a combined army of 200 million troops.

An army of 200 million troops is vastly more than Russia could amass from its population alone. But once China’s 1.4 billion people and India’s 1.4 billion are added to the equation, it is easy to see how a force of that size could emerge under the leadership of “Prince Putin.” As China and India bury the hatchet and unite under Putin’s leadership, they are setting the stage for that development.

To better understand the importance of these events and the hope that is laced into them, read “Asia Still Stands With Putin.”