ON COMPREHENSIVE NATIONAL POWER (CNP): ANALYSIS AND DYNAMICS BETWEEN INDIA AND CHINA

Introduction China has rapidly become a global superpower in the twenty-first century. Many observers are of the opinion that China's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) already outpaces that of the United States.

- Rajyavishek Pradhan

Unsurprisingly, India's rise in the twenty-first century has also drawn the attention of many scholars. There is moreover no shortage of leadership in Asia, as we can all agree. In this regard, the growing power ambitions between China and India require a clear appraisal of the current situation because of the long history of friction and war between the two countries. Within this context, it is crucial to comprehend and evaluate the Comprehensive National Power (CNP) between the two countries.

Comprehensive National Power (CNP)

Comprehensive National Power (CNP) typically refers to the whole of a nation's economic, military, scientific, technological, educational, resource, and influence prowess. An authority claims that CNP was created at the China Academy of Social Sciences. It contains an average of eight different factors, including natural resources, domestic and international economic potential, scientific and technological potential, social development potential, military potential, government potential, and potential for international relations (Baru, 2020). In simple terms, it considers both military and economic factors (hard power) and cultural, and scientific factors (soft power) as it can be interpreted as a combination of coercion as well as persuasion. Chinese scholars and experts claim that the CNP can be calculated using a variety of indices.

Hard Power Dynamics