Summits have been a display of power projection for centuries, from a pre-war Europe to the Cold War days to an era of non-alignment and now in the time of globalisation. While China made power projection through summits appear an easy affair, India is fast catching up in what is reminiscent of the period when the country held Commonwealth and NAM summits under Indira Gandhi.Three decades later, buoyed by its economic growth and rising ambitions to become a global economic powerhouse, India has put summits at the forefront of power projection that, unlike China, is benign.The 2015 mega India-Africa Forum Summit, for example, was on a scale that New Delhi did not witness since the NAM Summit. This was followed by the Brics Summit-Bimstec outreach in Goa in 2016, the Indo-Asean summit in New Delhi this year that left a deep imprint since the 2012 dialogue, the International Solar Alliance summit, and now the WTO mini-ministerial that has reaffirmed commitment to preserving a ruled-based multilateral trading system. In all these, India subtly showcased itself as the other power from Asia and the voice of the developing world, without dictating terms.The third edition of the India-Africa summit stood out. The presence of more than 40 heads of State and governments showed that Delhi could accommodate a huge gathering despite its mediocre infrastructure. Impressed by the special outreach efforts made to leaders especially in Africa, some of them were back again for the International Solar Alliance summit.The Indo-Africa summit of 2015, however, brought to fore the need for a world-class convention centre in the national capital and top-class hotels, besides the existing ones. After all, power projection is also about symbolismthat China has successfully showcased over the last two decades. There is plenty to learn from other G20 countries when it comes to hosting summits.This is one of the reasons for the Modi government to concentrate from Day One on improving physical infrastructure. Yet, the pace has to be expedited as India’s global profile rises. Cities in China received facelift as Beijing decided to host global summits.Taking a page from China’s book, hosting Brics summit along with Bimstec outreach in Goa was a prudent attempt to give smaller states a taste of geopolitics. The meet brought together two top global leaders, besides regional leaders. However, this exercise should not stop at Goa or Hyderabad, which hosted the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, and the effort should be to continue taking the foreign policy discourse beyond the national capital.Track 1.5 and Track 2 Dialogues are now common in other metros. We also need to build world-class infrastructure and facilities in the northeast for India’s Act East policy.Three years from now, India is expected to host the G20 summit. It will be a challenge of sorts for the government of the day to not only create a narrative for the summit but also present the country as a vibrant economic power. So, the focus should be on more reforms to revive growth, even as the country goes into election mode.Nevertheless, India has been and should guard against power projection on the lines of China that has cared little for international law and rules of which, ironically, it has been the biggest beneficiary. New Delhi’s goodwill lies in the fact that it is not pursuing an expansionist and aggressive foreign policy agenda but a balanced approach where it equally engages with US and Russia, Israel and Palestine, Iran and Saudi Arabia Power projection should be pursued with an eye to create and strengthen rules-based international order and norms.