Prime Minister Narendra Modi is once again packing his bags to venture forth overseas. In what promises to be his longest stint away from home, he expects to break new ground in Myanmar, Australia and Fiji in November, hoping to build the same kind of enthusiasm for India in Southeast Asia that he generated in Japan and the US. Asia is an opportunity for India that successive governments in New Delhi have only partially acknowledged. An assertive China being India’s greatest long-term challenge it should have occupied greater mindspace in Indian economic and strategic planning. For years, Southeast Asian nations have bemoaned India’s “absence” in Asia. It is now imperative for India to reverse this. Certainly, we can begin the process this week during the ongoing visit of the Vietnam prime minister, Nguyen Tan Dung to New Delhi. Despite the lengthening frowns on Chinese faces, India has doggedly stuck to its stake in South China Sea, at the very least signalling that it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. But we can move forward on improving India’s investment profile in Vietnam. On the security front, India could be a little less conservative when it comes to defence cooperation or even nuclear cooperation with Hanoi.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 12:32:20 +0000
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