A lot can and has been said about the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 10-day sojourn across the east, starting in Myanmar and ending in Fiji. The PM is now back in New Delhi, having done everything from being stuck in an airport in Myanmar to hugging a koala in Brisbane. On the way he also struck a number of deals, opened his bilateral account with a host of foreign leaders who he hadn’t met before and cemented his status as a crowd-pleaser home and abroad.
But in addition to his international outreach, it’s also quite possible to read the entirety of Modi’s travels over the past 10 days – from Myanmar to Australia and then Fiji – through the lens of the Indo-China relationship. Global politics might not be a zero-sum game, as evidenced by the warmth between Modi and Chinese president Xi Jinping on the banks of the Sabarmati in Ahmedabad earlier this year. But India is nevertheless battling China on a number of fronts, some of them more literally than others.
Here’s a look at how Modi used the last few weeks to send a message to Beijing:
South China scene
India has already taken a strong stand on China’s sabre-rattling in the South China Sea through its military cooperation with Vietnam. At the East Asia Summit as well as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Modi got another chance to enunciate India’s potential role as a counterweight to China on the seas, with Xi in attendance.
“We all have the responsibility that we all follow international law and norms on maritime issues, as we do in the realm of air passage. In future, we will also need this in space,” Modi said at both summits. “For peace and stability in South China Sea, everyone should follow international norms and law. “This includes the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. We also hope that you will be able to successfully implement the Guidelines to the 2002 Declaration on Conduct and that the Code of Conduct on South China Sea can be concluded soon on the basis of consensus.”
Burma Battles
As Nay Pyi Taw slowly opens up to the rest of the world, India is in pole position to take advantage of an old relationship with the young democracy. New Delhi will be playing catch up to China, which was happy to engage with Nay Pyi Taw even in the dictatorship years, but the leaders in Myanmar have realised over that they cannot depend entirely on Beijing.
This means opening up to Indian commerce, which appears to be happening. Over the last couple of months, in addition to Modi’s visit, the External Affairs Minister as well as India’s Army Chief made visits to Myanmar. After Modi’s bilateral discussion with Myanmar President Thein Sein, India’s Joint Secretary said that India would be looking to “correct” the issues in the relationship.
“Looking forward, we are trying to do a great deal on the political front," said Sripriya Ranganathan, the Indian diplomat handling Myanmar. "We are expecting a whole lot of visits over the next few months which we think will further energise the relationship. This is something that we are really looking forward to because the extent of interaction at the ministerial level has been less than what we would have liked over the past two years. That is something that we would like to correct now.”
Bilateral shadowboxing
The sudden announcement of an Indo-US deal on Bali Package negotiations was quickly followed up by news that the US and China had come to an agreement on climate change issues, a reminder of how both Asian countries are attempting to pull their weight globally. The G20 and the Brazil Russia India China South Africa grouping are two fora at which the countries attempt to work together, as evidenced by their cooperation in setting up a BRICS bank.
On the sidelines of those summits, the leaders of the two countries had another opportunity to talk directly to each other, with Modi attempting to send a strong message on the border issue again.
"The discussions between the two leaders covered almost every aspect of our relationship... the PM also made it very clear that there we hope for a resolution of the boundary question and pending the peace and tranquillity on the border," said Syed Akbaruddin, official spokesperson for ministry of external affairs. “This was something that was conveyed in clear terms and it was understood by the Chinese president also in the same spirit because the effort was to communicate our concerns as partners."
Defence Down Under
Modi used the Australia visit as an opportunity to forge stronger ties with the fellow commonwealth nation that would like to see itself as an Indo-Pacific power. In particular, the two countries agreed to a “security framework” that most analysts have read as a direct signal to China regarding the balance of power in the region. The pact will see much closer cooperation between New Delhi and Canberra on a number of defence initiatives, including regular naval exercises, cooperation in defence research and development and annual defence policy discussions.
Pacific Island pacts
The final visit of Modi’s 10-day trip was to the island nation of Fiji, which has age-old ties with India. In addition to reaching out to the Indian community and the leadership there, though, Modi used the opportunity to meet the rest of the Pacific Island’s leadership.
This is yet another region in which China has been increasing its presence, prompting India to sit up and take notice. This couldn’t have been better underlined by the schedules of both Modi and Xi. The Indian PM visited the island on Wednesday, meeting the island leaders, announcing a number of agreements and a $75 million line of credit for Fiji. Xi, meanwhile, is set to visit on Saturday and is expected to meet the same set of leaders as well as sign important commercial agreements as well.
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But in addition to his international outreach, it’s also quite possible to read the entirety of Modi’s travels over the past 10 days – from Myanmar to Australia and then Fiji – through the lens of the Indo-China relationship. Global politics might not be a zero-sum game, as evidenced by the warmth between Modi and Chinese president Xi Jinping on the banks of the Sabarmati in Ahmedabad earlier this year. But India is nevertheless battling China on a number of fronts, some of them more literally than others.
Here’s a look at how Modi used the last few weeks to send a message to Beijing:
South China scene
India has already taken a strong stand on China’s sabre-rattling in the South China Sea through its military cooperation with Vietnam. At the East Asia Summit as well as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Modi got another chance to enunciate India’s potential role as a counterweight to China on the seas, with Xi in attendance.
“We all have the responsibility that we all follow international law and norms on maritime issues, as we do in the realm of air passage. In future, we will also need this in space,” Modi said at both summits. “For peace and stability in South China Sea, everyone should follow international norms and law. “This includes the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. We also hope that you will be able to successfully implement the Guidelines to the 2002 Declaration on Conduct and that the Code of Conduct on South China Sea can be concluded soon on the basis of consensus.”
Burma Battles
As Nay Pyi Taw slowly opens up to the rest of the world, India is in pole position to take advantage of an old relationship with the young democracy. New Delhi will be playing catch up to China, which was happy to engage with Nay Pyi Taw even in the dictatorship years, but the leaders in Myanmar have realised over that they cannot depend entirely on Beijing.
This means opening up to Indian commerce, which appears to be happening. Over the last couple of months, in addition to Modi’s visit, the External Affairs Minister as well as India’s Army Chief made visits to Myanmar. After Modi’s bilateral discussion with Myanmar President Thein Sein, India’s Joint Secretary said that India would be looking to “correct” the issues in the relationship.
“Looking forward, we are trying to do a great deal on the political front," said Sripriya Ranganathan, the Indian diplomat handling Myanmar. "We are expecting a whole lot of visits over the next few months which we think will further energise the relationship. This is something that we are really looking forward to because the extent of interaction at the ministerial level has been less than what we would have liked over the past two years. That is something that we would like to correct now.”
Bilateral shadowboxing
The sudden announcement of an Indo-US deal on Bali Package negotiations was quickly followed up by news that the US and China had come to an agreement on climate change issues, a reminder of how both Asian countries are attempting to pull their weight globally. The G20 and the Brazil Russia India China South Africa grouping are two fora at which the countries attempt to work together, as evidenced by their cooperation in setting up a BRICS bank.
On the sidelines of those summits, the leaders of the two countries had another opportunity to talk directly to each other, with Modi attempting to send a strong message on the border issue again.
"The discussions between the two leaders covered almost every aspect of our relationship... the PM also made it very clear that there we hope for a resolution of the boundary question and pending the peace and tranquillity on the border," said Syed Akbaruddin, official spokesperson for ministry of external affairs. “This was something that was conveyed in clear terms and it was understood by the Chinese president also in the same spirit because the effort was to communicate our concerns as partners."
Defence Down Under
Modi used the Australia visit as an opportunity to forge stronger ties with the fellow commonwealth nation that would like to see itself as an Indo-Pacific power. In particular, the two countries agreed to a “security framework” that most analysts have read as a direct signal to China regarding the balance of power in the region. The pact will see much closer cooperation between New Delhi and Canberra on a number of defence initiatives, including regular naval exercises, cooperation in defence research and development and annual defence policy discussions.
Pacific Island pacts
The final visit of Modi’s 10-day trip was to the island nation of Fiji, which has age-old ties with India. In addition to reaching out to the Indian community and the leadership there, though, Modi used the opportunity to meet the rest of the Pacific Island’s leadership.
This is yet another region in which China has been increasing its presence, prompting India to sit up and take notice. This couldn’t have been better underlined by the schedules of both Modi and Xi. The Indian PM visited the island on Wednesday, meeting the island leaders, announcing a number of agreements and a $75 million line of credit for Fiji. Xi, meanwhile, is set to visit on Saturday and is expected to meet the same set of leaders as well as sign important commercial agreements as well.