The Parliamentary Standing Committee of External Affairs of India has suggested the government to review and enhance its developmental diplomacy in view of the increasing Chinese outreach and presence in its neighborhood, Press Trust of India reports. The ministry report was based on the panel’s observations on the subject ‘Demands for Grants' of the ministry for the year 2022-23, according to the PTI report. It also dealt with aid allocations to India's neighboring countries, including Afghanistan and Nepal. “In view of the increasing Chinese outreach and presence in India's neighborhood, the Committee feels that India needs to review and enhance their developmental diplomacy,” the panel said. It further suggested that “a strategy/vision should be formulated to expand our developmental partnership, particularly capacity building and knowledge sharing, to effectively counter the presence of other regional powers in our neighborhood.”

The ministry submitted that the Government of India attaches high priority to the relationship with neighboring countries and has a well-articulated policy of ‘Neighborhood First’. In its reply, the Ministry of External Affairs told the panel that the primary orientation of India's foreign policy remains its immediate neighborhood under the ‘Neighborhood First’ policy.