Hafizzz
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US naval move in Australia may help India take on China
US naval move in Australia may help India take on China - The Times of India
The US move to create a naval base in northern Australia close to the South China Sea can actually mean more dollars in the Indian kitty, and put more strategic and business opportunities in New Delhi's way, sources said. The first piece of evidence has come by way of Australia's decision to sell uranium to India.
The US move will provide a sense of protection to East Asian countries including Japan, who have serious conflicts with China but buy vast amounts of Chinese goods. The new found protection will encourage East Asia to reduce its dependence on China for goods and enhance economic ties with India, sources said.
"Japan, Vietnam and Indonesia will feel more secure. India and Indonesia can get together to control the Malacca Straits, which is the route though which 90% of Chinese goods to East Asia passes," Subramanian Swamy, Janata Party president and a widely regarded China expert, told TNN.
There are signs that China is jittery about the US move to station 2,500 US marines in the Northern Territory of Australia within five years. Beijing on Thursday warned Australia it might get "caught in the crossfire" if it allows the US to exercise its naval might in the waters around it. Washington's move has put the US navy within easy sailing reach of Vietnam, which is involved in a serious territorial dispute over oil-rich islands in the South China Sea.
The move will also bring some relief to the ONGC, which is one of the foreign companies involved in exploring oil along with Vietnamese oil firms in the South China Sea. China has bitterly criticized India on the move and asked ONGC to withdraw.
When it comes to exporting to East Asia, India cannot replace China, which has a wide range of goods to offer, Uday Bhaskar, director of the National Maritime Foundation, said.
"But there is a strategic review of the bilateral relation with India by the US, EU and Japan, wherein Indian markets are being recognized as an important driver of trade in the region," Bhaskar added.
India will need to retool its export basket if it seriously wishes to compete with China as a provider of goods in East Asia, he said.
The US move can also mean massive savings in investments being made by the Indian defence agencies on the India-China border, Abhijit Iyer-Mitra, research officer at the Institute of Conflict Studies in New Delhi, said.
"This is God sent. The more US ramps up its military presence in South China Sea, the more it will divert Beijing's attention from India," he said.
"It can actually mean a big saving on investments being made on the China border. But I doubt if our defence establishment would make the best of the opportunity. They are too attached to big budget," he said.
China, just sell all your holding on US T-Bonds. Tell the Americans to ask India to buy them.