Almost lost in the din of the upcoming U.S.-North Korea summit and fresh tension between Washington and Beijing last week, India cemented its diplomatic and security ties across Southeast Asia in a clear challenge to China.

It is not clear just how far New Delhi will take these relationships, given years of promise, and a general election due in 11 months that could be a distraction for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. And if India is already rattling China, it won¡¯t want to spark open confrontation.

But Modi took several concrete foreign policy and security steps in Southeast Asia in recent days.