‘The West is fostering India as an alternative to reduce dependence on China’s supply chain and as a strategic ally to counter China’s political and economic dominance.’ Explain this statement with examples.

Amid deepening US-China rivalry and pandemic-era supply shocks, Western economies are actively courting India as a manufacturing alternative and a strategic partner to balance China's political and economic weight. This 'China+1' logic is visible in both economics and geopolitics.

Reducing supply-chain dependence

• Production-Linked Incentive schemes have drawn Apple/Foxconn to assemble iPhones in India, part of a broader electronics shift.
• The Supply Chain Resilience Initiative with Japan and Australia and Micron's semiconductor plant at Sanand signal diversification away from China.

Strategic alignment

• The Quad, the US-India iCET on critical and emerging technologies, and IPEF anchor India in Indo-Pacific balancing.
• Defence and technology partnerships (GE jet engines, drones) deepen the strategic tilt.

India's strategic autonomy

• India engages the West selectively while retaining ties with Russia (discounted oil) and platforms like BRICS and the SCO.
• It seeks partnership on its own terms, not a formal alliance.

Thus the statement is broadly valid: the West is fostering India's rise as a China counterweight, even as India leverages this courtship to advance its own developmental and strategic autonomy.