China and India, home to a third of humanity, took divergent paths in building their future workforces. China banked on structured skill development, deep-tech investment, and a relentless push for merit-based advancement. It paid off. From dominating supply chains to leading in AI and engineering, China’s rise is no accident — it’s a blueprint.
India, meanwhile, is still grappling with fragmented policies, bureaucratic red tape, and an education system more attuned to memorisation than innovation. The result? A widening gap, not just in development but in ambition. And now, voices within India are openly calling it out.
Akshat Shrivastava, CEO of The Wisdom Hatch Fund, didn’t mince words when he said India has lost the development race against China. “We don’t even talk about competing with China anymore. So, we go back to singing tunes how we are democratic country,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter).
In another post featuring a video on China’s disruption of the luxury goods industry, Shrivastava added, “When you have the skills, the world comes to you. For the last 4 decades, the Chinese obsessed over improving their skills. The outcome is: they are cost competitive, control the supply chains (on several products). And, offer great quality.”
Shrivastava criticised India’s focus on reservations over merit-based progress. “We Indians — on the other hand — demanded more reservations. It has gotten to a point now: where you have freeloaders who score a big fat 0 on competitive exams. Yes, they become teachers. And, teach others.”
“Classic case of the incompetent people teaching others how to be skilled,” he wrote. “End result: we lost the development race against the Chinese. We don’t even talk about competing with China anymore. So we go back to singing tunes how we are democratic country. And, the Chinese are autocrats.”
The post sparked debate, resonating with many users online.
“Your post hits hard, and I agree that India has lagged behind China in the development race, largely due to a focus on reservations over skill-building,” one user replied. “China’s emphasis on cost-competitiveness and supply chain dominance is a lesson in prioritising merit and innovation. However, I think India’s democratic framework, while messy, also offers unique strengths like fostering diverse ideas and resilience that China’s system might lack.”
Another user lamented the public disconnect, writing, “We have many things to brag about on a daily basis. The average Indian has no idea that he is 5 decades behind China and in the next decade is going to a century behind China.”
