Chakraborti and Chakraborty assess the rationale and implications of India's strategies and responses vis-a-vis the South China Sea dispute, and their impact on its overall 'Act East' initiative in Southeast Asia policy.

Tridib Chakraborti is Professor and Dean of the School of Social Sciences at ADAMAS University, Kolkata, India. He served as Professor and Head of the Department of International Relations at Jadavpur University, Kolkata before taking his present position. He has been the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Chair and the Indian Studies and Visiting Professor at Dublin City University, Ireland. He is an expert on South, Southeast Asian and Indo-Pacific affairs and specialises in South and Southeast Asian politics, foreign relations, strategic issues, Indian Diaspora and ethnic issues in Southeast Asia.

Mohor Chakraborty is Assistant Professor in Political at South Calcutta Girls' College (affiliated to the University of Calcutta), Kolkata, India. Prior to this assignment, she held the position of Senior Research Fellow in the Department of International Relations at Jadavpur University, Kolkata. Her research interest is in Indian foreign policy and Area Studies, focusing on South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific regions.

1. India and the South China Sea: A Strategic Mirror of Chinese Hegemony 2. The Structural Intractability of Rival Claims to Sovereignty in the South China Sea 3. ASEAN-China Diplomatic Dissension and India's Interests 4. Indian Strategy and the Military Dimension of the South China Sea Dispute 5. The Implications for India of Great Power Shifts in Priorities: The Positions of Trump and Abe 6. Conclusion