gubbi
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What you may have missed: Narendra Modi’s message to China
In the last 36 hours, we have seen intense discussion and speculation on the future of India-Pakistan relations in the wake of Nawaz Sharif attending the swearing in ceremony of Narendra Modi as India’s new Prime Minister. But no one seems to be talking about China. What most analysts appear to have missed is that Modi has also sent a multi-leveled but clear message to our giant neighbour in the north.
Take his invitation to all the leaders of neighbouring countries, most importantly Maldives and Sri Lanka. China has been for years single-mindedly pursuing its string of pearls strategy to encircle India. Maldives, traditionally a good and amiable friend of India, is now almost lost to China.
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Interesting points:
Add to that the overtures China is giving to PM Modi to develop trade and foster peaceful discussions.
In the last 36 hours, we have seen intense discussion and speculation on the future of India-Pakistan relations in the wake of Nawaz Sharif attending the swearing in ceremony of Narendra Modi as India’s new Prime Minister. But no one seems to be talking about China. What most analysts appear to have missed is that Modi has also sent a multi-leveled but clear message to our giant neighbour in the north.
Take his invitation to all the leaders of neighbouring countries, most importantly Maldives and Sri Lanka. China has been for years single-mindedly pursuing its string of pearls strategy to encircle India. Maldives, traditionally a good and amiable friend of India, is now almost lost to China.
..........
Interesting points:
- Inviting Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom over for the swearing in, and chatting with him to get an informal sense of the situation in the islands is Modi’s first step to woo Maldives back into India’s fold. At the least, he is sending a message to China that India would no longer sit idle and watch Maldives slide away and become a pearl in China’s string.
- The fact that Modi ignored the shrill protests from the Tamil political parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) own allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), and went ahead and invited Mahinda Rajapaksaand met him, is a clear indication that the new team in charge well understands the China threat. It is time to rebuild relations with Sri Lanka after decades of unease and do what is best for India in its neighbourhood and in the Indian Ocean.
- But the smartest move that Modi has made vis-à-vis China—and which hardly anyone seems to have understood the significance of so far—is giving former army chief V.K. Singh an apparently strange combination of portfolios. Singh will be minister of state with independent charge of the north east, and also be minister of state in the external affairs ministry under Sushma Swaraj.
As China continues to refuse to recognise Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of India, and builds military-grade highways that can rapidly move tanks and heavy artillery to India’s border, it’s absolutely the perfect stratagem to put a former army chief in charge of the region. This should give the Chinese some pause.
And his additional responsibility in the external affairs ministry is a brilliant piece of thinking. In effect, Modi has made a committed Indian soldier our man for China.
Add to that the overtures China is giving to PM Modi to develop trade and foster peaceful discussions.
