 By Siddharth Srivastava
NEW DELHI - In strategic groupings, India and United States are seen as being partners to dilute the influence of China. Recent events only underline such assertions. Suspicions refuse to die as far as India and China are concerned. Recently declassified Central Intelligence Agency documents detail what the US saw as Chinese deception and Indian naivety that led to the 1962 war between the two sides. This will only add to the mutual distrust over the border issues.
New Delhi and Washington, meanwhile, are breaking new ground, including in defense-related matters. This week China asked India, the US, Japan and Australia, which are looking to form a quadripartite arrangement with Tokyo taking a lead, to be "open and inclusive". "China believes that to enhance mutual trust, expand cooperation for mutual benefit, it must be open and inclusive," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gan, reacting to the first meeting of officials of India, the US, Japan and Australia in Manila last month on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian summit.
| The Chinese understand what George Bush, John Howard, Shinzo Abe and Manmohan Singh are doing, and they're not happy. |
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has sought to allay such anxieties, saying, "I have told Chinese President Hu Jintao that there's no question of ganging up against China. This group isn't a military alliance." (The focus is on disaster management and energy.)
| And what bigger disasters could there be than 1) China trying to claim territories that it believes it has a right to and/or 2) China melts down politically and economically? |
However, there are other issues as well. Recently, Taiwanese presidential candidate and opposition leader Ma Ying-jeou visited India in what was termed a private and unofficial visit. Officials say the visit was to foster closer economic relations irrespective of India's diplomatic ties with Beijing. Ma met Congress party president Sonia Gandhi, top opposition leaders and business executives.
| That'll rattle a few cages in Beijing. |
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