Global attention is increasingly turning towards Asia as the concurrent rises of China and India signify the nascent stages of the Asian 21st century. As part of this focus, greater reflection is being given to the standing that India and China have held in the past; their natural primacy as great powers in terms of demographics, economic clout and landmass; and how they look set to dominate global politics over the coming decades. Mixed up with these factors concerning their dual emergence are also expectations about what kind of powers they will be, and indeed what kind of powers they want to be. Here, deliberating what constitutes existing and historical great powers is important (a group typically including the United States (US), Russia, the United Kingdom (UK), China, Japan and India) but also whether their accreditation has been consistent or if it has evolved. Critically, we must better consider what exactly constitutes great power within international relations, and give further attention to how any such “greatness” can be measured. Despite China and India’s current high annual GDP figures, both states are facing myriad common challenges that may stall or annul their expected contemporary and future trajectories, something often overlooked in debates concerning a global shift from the West to Asia.

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