Look who's talking about "imperial"!
. Anyway, you do know that we've started cooperating with Brazil in defense as well. Cooperation with Latin America has also started late and is in its nascent stage. We Indian members talk must more practical events than some clowns on this forum talking of PRC capable enough to take out USA alone.
You under-estimate us way too much to observe or understand the signs.
I don't think our Army chief has recently gone to Vietnam with holy scrolls or bags of spices in his hand. That's called development of strategic cooperation. Vietnam offers us something that we cannot say no to easily: What ports of Sri Lanka and Paksitan have offered to your country in recent times.
Agreed that strategic cannot be everybody but hey, If USA took time in the World Wars and from then has cultivated strategic ties with 25+ countries, when PRC has turned 3 of our neighbours into its strategic partners, why can't we deal with 3-4 countries on our immediate southeast? We have begun slowly but give it time and it would automatically show results. Everything grows and emerges slowly isn't it?
Its a free world.