India charts its own course as global order shifts, says Rishi Sunak

India is increasingly setting its own geopolitical agenda rather than falling behind traditional superpowers, former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday in New Delhi.

Addressing business leaders and policymakers, Sunak pointed to India and the Gulf states as prime examples of nations exercising clear strategic autonomy during an era defined by intensifying rivalry between the United States and China.

Speaking during a panel titled "The End of Predictability" at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum 2026, Sunak observed that the post-war multilateral order that once governed international trade and security is giving way to widespread fragmentation. In that fluid environment, India's steady diplomatic footing and economic weight have enabled it to pursue national interests without being forced to take sides.

What Rishi Sunak said about India's global role

Sunak argued that the rise of China as a direct competitor to the US across military, technological and economic fields has permanently altered international governance. Yet rather than polarising the entire world into two rigid camps, this shift has expanded the diplomatic space for self-reliant powers.

"Countries like India, like the Gulf, now are able to chart their own course," Sunak said. "They're not going to always agree with the US or China. They're going to do what they want, and that's a new feature."

The remarks reflect New Delhi's long-standing doctrine of strategic autonomy, which has gained significant traction as India deepens trade, defence and technology ties with Western democracies while sustaining practical working partnerships elsewhere.

Sunak observed that global uncertainty cannot be pinned on individual leaders alone, noting that shifts in American policy under Donald Trump represent symptoms of a broader institutional breakdown rather than its underlying cause.

Rising conflicts and geopolitical strains

The former UK leader expressed acute concern over mounting international instability, pointing out that armed friction around the globe has reached levels unseen in decades. The forum brought together global industry figures, including Tata Sons Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran and Blackstone President Jonathan Gray, to discuss the risks facing cross-border enterprise.

Sunak pointed to research showing 61 active state-based armed conflicts worldwide, the highest count since the end of the Second World War. He remarked wryly that while the spread of conflict alarms security planners, Donald Trump would likely view those disputes as "61 opportunities to win the Nobel Peace Prize."

The Bloomberg New Economy Forum runs in New Delhi through October 15, focusing on economic resilience, supply chains and leadership across emerging markets.