INDIA PERSPECTIVE

Indian media observe the Zhongguancun Forum through the dual lens of rivalry with China and India's ambition to become a global tech hub. The Times of India reports Chinese announcements comparing them directly with PM Modi's Make in India program and the Semiconductor Mission, which now counts 10 approved plants for $18.3 billion in investments. The implicit message: India is not falling behind.

The Hindu, more analytical, notes that China's integrated circuits and intelligent robots strategy collides directly with India's ambitions to attract supply chains leaving China (China Plus One). The recent HCL-Foxconn plant launch in Uttar Pradesh is cited as proof India is building its own semiconductor ecosystem.

Republic TV strikes an assertive nationalist tone, presenting the forum as proof that the world must choose between two technological development models: the Chinese statist model and the Indian democratic model. The Indian Express offers the most balanced analysis, acknowledging that China's lead in AI and 6G is real and that India must accelerate to avoid being left behind. Indian technological non-alignment is complex: buying Russian technologies, cooperating with Americans, and watching the Chinese simultaneously.