Amid churn in Indo-Pacific, US plays India versus China game
Ahead of his maiden visit to India, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has projected the US as the reliable partner India needs, positioning New Delhi and Washington as two “two bookends of stability” in the Indo-Pacific region which is being challenged by China’s “irresponsible” rise.
Courting India ahead of his first official visit to New Delhi next week, Mr Tillerson projected an upbeat trajectory of the India-US relations that have been on an upswing ever since President Donald Trump assumed office earlier this year. In a defining foreign policy speech at an American think tank, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Mr. Tillerson said that the US is “determined to dramatically deepen ways” to build an “ambitious partnership” with India, particularly with an eye on the Indo-Pacific region and China, which will have “far-reaching implications for the next 100 years.”
Going by Mr Tillerson’s comments, it would appear that the US is pushing for a renewed China containment strategy, with India as a key balancer against China’s assertiveness. Should India offer to be part of this strategy? Opinion is divided among India’s strategic establishment. Meera Shankar, India’s former ambassador to the US, has struck a note of caution. “It’s a culmination of the trend of strengthening strategic partnerships in the region by the US to balance China,” Mrs Shankar told India Writes Network. “A stronger India will ipso facto act as a balancer, without getting into overt containment strategy,” she said. The US should help to bolster India’s rise and capabilities, she said.
Xi Jinping II: Notes on China’s foreign policy
BEIJING: China’s President Xi Jinping has unveiled his plans for rejuvenation of China and the Chinese Dream at the crucial 19th Party Congress, but his foreign policy postures continue to remain a subject of speculation. The Chinese leader has spoken about positioning China at the centre of the world, which indicates growing global ambitions, but […]
Kandahar attack: India calls for dismantling terror sanctuaries
India, a leading development and strategic partner of Afghanistan, has voiced strong condemnation over the savage attack at Afghan army personnel and called for an end to safe havens and terrorists’ sanctuaries, a veiled reference to Pakistan’s suspected role in supporting terror in the neighbouring country. “We strongly condemn the barbaric attack at the Afghan […]