Explained: Can India-Japan economic ties offset China's influence?

The first of a two-part series looks at how some key economic alignments of India are expected to pan out

This year neither India nor Japan has referred to the Asia Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC), a project set up in November 2016 for the two countries to jointly invest in Africa and other continents. Announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe, the AAGC was seen as an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). 

As relations chill between India and China post the developments in Jammu and Kashmir, there are murmurs that the AAGC should be revived and India should have deeper ties with Japan and other Asian nations to counterbalance China’s influence. An opportunity