India must work with Chinese capital, supply chains to become manufacturing hub: Former Intel executive

India’s push to become a major manufacturing nation could fall short unless it works more closely with Chinese capital and supply chains, former Intel executive William Huo has said. In a series of sharp posts on X, Huo said India should follow the example of China in the 1980s, when Beijing welcomed Japanese investment and technology to grow its own industries.

“India needs a national industrial policy, not just slogans. ‘Make in India’ has to mean software, services, chips, cloud, the whole stack,” Huo wrote on Tuesday.

“India should be doing the same with Chinese supply chains. That’s the shortcut to industrialisation,” he said. Huo also warned that cutting ties with China completely is not a realistic option if India wants to become a strong manufacturing country.

India needs a national industrial policy, not just slogans. “Make in India” has to mean software, services, chips, cloud, the whole stack. (9/13)

— William Huo (@wmhuo168) May 13, 2025

He added that the US may not always support India as it grows economically. Once India’s economy becomes bigger than Germany’s, the US could start treating India as a “problem” instead of a partner. “Containment will follow,” Huo said.

Huo also pointed out that India still depends heavily on US technology. If relations with the West worsen, India could struggle. “Can India survive without AWS, Google, Apple, and Visa? Not yet,” he wrote.

To highlight the missed chances for better ties, Huo said the perfect meme would show “a Chinese monk and Indian sage under a Bodhi tree,” with the caption: “Why can’t we all just get along?”