Category talk:Discussions on Cultural Diplomacy
Regional Cooperation: India's South Asia Policy
South Asia is no longer the back water of global politics and India with Prime Minister Modi's assumption of Prime Minister's office is no more a disinterested power.The imperative is in the hands of rising India to re-craft its South Asia policy to re-engage with its neighbours broadly.If economic solutions provide security solutions as understood by commercial liberalism denoting the practice the free trade that says,Free Trade has economic benefits,as it allows each country to specialise in the production of goods and services that it is best suited to produce,the ones in which they have a comparative advantage and free trade is important in drawing states into a web of economic interdependence that means that the material cost of international conflicts are so great that warfare becomes virtually unthinkable,then inter-state business among SAARC countries should be increased.The South Asian region is much more complicated and hence confusing whether here economics will follow security or vice versa.SAARC will be entering in three decades of its formation,but unlike other regional associations like EU or ASEAN,it has been much less able to emerge as a success story as the region has much potential.The integration level of South Asian nations has not been as expected.One of the reasons is that because the eight partners in SAARC are unmatched in terms of economy,military powers or geopolitical significance,problems among more prominent states like India and Pakistan have always stood in the way of a larger cooperation between them all.Improvement of Indo-Pak ties has become a pre-condition for a successful SAARC.Many timesIndia's own image of being a stronger member in the SAARC has led to uneasiness among other SAARC members regarding a potential growht of India as a South Asian hegemon.This fear of Indian dominance has been apprehend since there has been long time unresolved issues among India and its neighbours like Bangladesh in case of Tista water river disputes and infiltrations concerns,with Nepal regarding porous border issues and insurgency problems with Indo-Sri Lankan issues of maritime fishing concerns etc.
All of this implies that there is lack of vital trust among members of SAARC in general with India in particular.Such issues have come in the way of a more fruitful trade and economic handlings.Though under SAARC auspices or even bilaterally economic arrangements are made through the lowering of trade barriers,it is the implementation part that suffers.The basic problem lies in the dichotomy between the technical arrangements of the cooperation and its practical implementation.SAARC's attempt to deliberately overlook political issues and concentrate on economic sector is flawed and for that a smooth operation of the cooperative environment among SAARC members has always been a difficulty.The lack of trust factor among member countries has been an obstacle for a successful South Asian cooperation.India's south asia policy would definitely make its geopolitical position stronger but not at the expense of the SAARC members.India and Pakistan,the SAARC members often view it as part of a zero sum game,which is not true.India has already emerged as a strong regional power in South Asia,which is an established position.With the new government in New Delhi,India position itself on the development agenda and on the economic front the South Asian region appears.India's exports to South Asia at $17.3 billion in the last fiscal year which has potential to increase to higher levels.South Asia is a highly volatile region in terms of the presence of difficult issues among its members as known to south asian region already.Indian Prime Minister Modi seems to be open about India addressing these issues be it Bangladesh water sharing agreement or diplomatic moves towards Sri Lanka's Tamil issue.India cannot ignore Sri Lanka's maritime significance in an attempt to connect Sri Lanka in diplomatic way.
The attendance of SSARC member heads in the swearing ceremony of India's Prime Minister is equally important because it depicts their respect and desire to engage with India at newer and higher bilateral levels.In a way the smaller SAARC countries are appreciative of India's position at the regional and global arena.India's bilateral cooperation towards SAARC members like Nepal,India is to offer $ 1 billion line of credit to Nepal and a similar offer to Bangladesh explains New Delhi's wish to closely cooperate with SAARC countries and as such renew the relations.Bilateral visits are significant in a way that they denote willingness of a state to engage with the other and as such Modi's first official foreign visit being Bhutan and Nepal in early August 2014,a country visited by Indian Prime minister since 17 years.India needs to develop long term economic strategies with South Asia Republics and India will aim to develop a strategic partnership with countries of this region and not limit itself to Pakistan.
Place- New Delhi
Date- 19th December,2014 Anil Kumar Upadhyaya
== Bilateral Relations: Sino-India Relations
India-China relations are rife with instances of one-sided concessions in neogtiations going back all the way.Indian Prime Minister Modi made two important points about the border issue to Chinese President Xi Jinping,as he disclosed in his remarks during the breifing with Chinese President.One clarification of the Line of Control-LAC and other for early resolution of the underlying boundary question.That ambiguity would hopefully have been resolved by now in follow-up discussions that would presumably have probed the Chinese side for a response.If none had been forthcoming of its own.Any Chinese attempt to confine the matter to a business-as-usual mode.Either way,the matter would in that case need to be taken up again more forcefully,and escalated to higher,back to the highest,levels,if need be,since it obviously is good for health of relationship in the future.The concern of the Indian Prime minister Modi to Chinese President Xi about the incongruity of Chumar-like incidents on the India/China border occuring cheek by jowl with professions of friendly intent is integrally linked to the objective of earliest possible clarification of the LAC.It is task that should take no time at all,since it simply involves describing on paper where both sides actually are on the ground,which is therefore has naturally to be conveyed to the Chinese in no uncertain terms,whatever it takes.The boundary question itself,neogtiations can be expected to pick up pace in the future now,with the nomination of the National Security Adviser as the special envoy on the Indian side recently.The Chinese envoy to the Indian side on the state of play in their crucial first,sizing up,encounter will be even more revealing of their readiness to accommodate Indian Prime Minister Modi's demarche to President XI than in case of the LAC,which is after all,a secondary matter subsidiary to that of alignment of the boundary.The progress made in the 17th rounds held so far,always made much of by the Chinese side,will,of course,be presented as the starting point,and operative framework,for the future but the Indian side will do well to cast a cold eye on it all while formulating its preferred approach for the future.
The basics of India-China border are well known: there is adequate room for reconciling the strategic concerns of both countries,reasonably defined,since they happen to lie in different sectors-western sector-while a key link road to the restless frontier province of Xinjiiang passes through the Aksai Chin area claimed by India but not populated or of any use to it in real terms for the Chinese sector and Eastern sector with many sensitivities in Sikkim and the North-Eastern region for India,though included by China in its claims somewhat fancifully.This is the repeated Chinese package deal offers,involving mutual recognition of these realities on an as is where is basis offered .The demands for Chinese goods having shrunk in the West,China is now focusing on Asian markets.China has also transformed itself from a world major manufacturer within China into a world major manufacturer worldwide.While China gets an outlet for investment in India,this initiative also enables to China to reach out Indian states,a policy China has been following for quite some time.Chinese companies making huge investments in India.China is also to be redirected its labour-intensive industry from China to India.Related to agreement with India,Chinese commitment to invest $20 billion in India belying earlier hope for $100 investment.The curtailment of Chinese commitment was a great disappointment.May be Beijing wanted to convey its own desire of India's tough stance on the border stand-off and India's freedom of navigation during Indian President Pranab visit to Vietnam and Vitenam's offer to India to explore th hydrocarbon in the South China sea,and India is cosying up to Japan.
Recognising the need for maritime dialogue,the two sides decided to hold the first round maritime cooperation dialogue within 2014 to exchange views on maritime affairs and security,including anti-piracy,freedom of navigation and cooperation between maritime agencies of both the countries.Hard-nosed economic considerations are the main drivers of the Chinese initiative like Bangladesh-China-Myanmar-BCIM economic corridorand the Maritime Silk Route initiatives.On the whole,the complex India-China relations are undergoing a churning process.The rise of a strong nationalist party leader Narendra Modi,who is determined to give a big push to India's economy through infrastructure development projected to the tune of 1 trillion US dollar ,skill development and manufacturing Make in India brand to establish India on the global fora against China.Relations between two countries are based on hard facts of national interest,but chemistry between two leaders will always matter.Beijing,or for that matter President XI cannot harbour any doubt about indian Prime minister Modi's political and personal intents.India only stands to gain by friendly towards its northern neighbour,not otherwise.India not willing to pick up a quarrel with China
Place-New Delhi Date-21st December,2014 ANIL KUMAR UPADHYAYA
