While the Chinese claim of being the "most broad-based, real and effective socialist democracy" may be startling to most of the people, its allegation that the US has been weaponizing democracy to maintain its hegemony is not completely misplaced. It is not to suggest that one needs to segregate and pick rights and wrong from China's week-long haul over democracy. The Chinese address to the world is undoubtedly a propaganda and an act of hypocrisy. It however provokes one to ponder whether democracy is being weaponized to maintain global hegemony. It indeed is, and has been all throughout. There is no doubt over the fact that the US is among the countries holding the highest standards of democracy internally. But whether it seriously intends to instil those lofty ideals in the polity and society of other countries is highly debatable. The reason is, history hardly presents such examples. The US intervention in a host of countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria etc. has only led to chaos and disorder. Then again, intention is one thing, the larger question is whether the US or for that matter any other country, is capable of implanting democracy within any nation. Certainly not, democracy and development spring from the heart of society and the idea of implanting it externally is flawed by design. China, on the other hand, needs to set its concepts right. In a white paper, titled "Democracy That Works", the country has wrongly married its state of national growth to democracy. The rather ill-informed and misplaced comparison with India in terms of democracy could best serve as a laughing stock. The Chinese claims were based on the assertion that the living condition of women in China is superior to that of India. This reflects the gross misunderstanding of basic notions of democracy — that are not necessarily driven by the prosperity of any nation. What is even more problematic is the baseless categorization of democracy into 'our democracy' and their 'democracy'. It must be noted that democracy in itself is a wholesome idea and there cannot be different versions of it. China has once again been right in lecturing that countries should not blindly follow the democracy model of other nations, but in the same breath, it also floated its own prescription for democracy. Certainly, countries don't need to learn how to practice democracy from China! When things get tangled up, it is best to stick by Lincoln's golden definition of democracy terming it to be a rule 'of the people, by the people and for the people'. Why should any third-party agent decide what the democracy of a nation should look like? The moot point to be made here is that while democracy remains the garb under which both China and the US appear to be at war with each other, the core contestation is a geostrategic one. Democracy is the most cherished and longed for idea across the globe. Only the nations that are devoid of this priceless gem could understand the real worth of it. The desperate demand for the idea has perhaps attracted the greatest of global players to put up a rampant sale of the same. This trading in democracy comes at a cost. The world has seen it in Syria, Iraq, and very recently in Afghanistan. Nations across the globe must act very cautiously so as not to fall into the trap of any of the two superpowers. The situation today is roughly analogous to that of the early decades of the Cold War. Could the idea of something on the lines of non-alignment — which was a great success then — be rechristened in the present circumstances? If that is so, India is best positioned to lead the way once again. India is no doubt one of the most important nations in the geostrategic arena, also known for its high-standard democratic values, but what it stands to gain by being sandwiched between warring China and the US is uncertain. The US may be India's most prominent ally and China its most threatening neighbour but it requires retrospection on where India is positioned in the bipolar war for global hegemony. It appears nowhere. The fact has to be accepted that India's economic and military power is still far behind that of China and the US. But at the same time, when it comes to democracy, India reigns undoubtedly, commanding global respect. It shall stand by nations struggling to find, restore or retain their democracy — free from fear and geostrategic greed.