New Delhi, Aug. 26 -- China today represents not only a strategic challenge to the US-led, rules-based international order but also a profound test for democracy itself. For many smaller nations, Beijing's rapid transformation from poverty to sustained economic growth has become a source of admiration. The danger, however, lies in this economic respect evolving into an endorsement of China's governance model. In this sense, China stands as both a "near peer" competitor to the United States and a rival to the Western-led democratic ecosystem.

Sri Lanka once openly expressed interest in adopting governance lessons from China during Mahinda Rajapaksa's tenure - a telling indication of how Beijing's influence extends beyond economics. Even w...