Different paths for middle powers India and Australia

A Donald Trump return also brings into sharper focus the dilemma of managing relations with the US and China.

In New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has an answer: "Vishwamitra", a Sanskrit word that translates into "everybody's friend".

Mr Modi famously told Russian President Vladimir Putin that "it's not time for war" while the world had more pressing challenges, and convinced the US that India had to buy discounted oil from Russia to power its economy and keep global oil prices stable.

His open line to Mr Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu allows him to claim the role of global peacenik. He is also on back-slapping terms with Trump, who, while criticising India for its high tariffs, has been complimentary towards Mr Modi.

Mr Modi, aware of the larger goal of growing the economy and needing Chinese investments in his legacy-building third term, has also shrewdly chosen to thaw relations with China. In October, he reached an agreement with President Xi Jinping, in their first bilateral meeting in five years, on patrols along a disputed border in the Himalayans - the site of deadly clashes - opening the door to slowly normalise other facets of the relationship.

Mr Modi knows India derives its diplomatic influence from being everywhere all at once with one foot in the China-dominated Brics and another in the Quad - while asserting itself as the "voice of the Global South".