India, Oct. 4 -- The challenge that China is placing on the table today is not merely economic, or military. It is an ideological question that makes parts of the West and parts of India uncomfortable.

Many people do not understand what the fundamental challenge thrown by China at its geopolitical rivals today is. It is not merely economic or military-it is a fundamental dispute over the very definition of legitimate governance. For decades, the global consensus-anchored by the West and championed by India-defined democracy through a strictly procedural lens: regular multi-party elections, freedom of expression, independent judicial checks, and the protection of civil liberties. Today, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is actively attemp...