Punjab Post Daily Online Newspaper & Print Media
A special Report from Harjap Singh Aujla Newyork
India has two extremely difficult neighbors. In sixty seven year history since independence, we have had several violent disputes with Pakistan. But to our North the People’s Republic of China is a far more difficult neighbor to deal with. We had at least three full blown wars with Pakistan in 1947-48, 1965 and 1971 as well as thousands of recurring small border firing incidents. With China we had one war in 1962, we fared poorly in this unprepared war against a vastly better equipped adversary, after which the border has been quiet for a number of years. But during the UPA 1 (2004 – 2009) and UPA 2 (2009 – 2014), China suddenly started teasing us by violating the Indian territory by crossing the line of actual control and sending its troops deep into the Indian territory in Ladakh region in the West and in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in the North East. During the UPA 1 and UPA 2, India unsuccessfully tried to improve mutual relations by ignoring the problem of violation of the border and expecting that by-lateral diplomatic parleys will eventually produce a solution. China has been talking to India, but on the eve of and during mutual visits by dignitaries of both countries, the quantum of infiltration and its duration has been increasing. This aggressive posturing by China has been ringing alarm bells in India.
During the run up to the parliamentary elections in India, in March, April and May of 2014, an impression was going round within India that Narendra Modi, being a rather tough leader, will deter China from transgressions into the Indian territory. But Chinese infiltration into India has not diminished even under the new prime minister. As a consequence, Narendra Modi has been forced to adopt a more pro-active foreign policy, which involves active cooperation with all the large and small countries tormented by China’s aggressive posturing. There is no doubt that every neighbor of China has some kind of a boundary dispute with that gigantic country. The list of victim countries includes Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Phillippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Bhutan and Nepal. Far away from China the Pacific-rim countries like Australia and New Zealand are also perturbed at the aggressive and hostile activities of the Chinese armed forces in the Pacific Ocean. China has been forcibly occupying several islands located within the maritime boundaries of its neighbors. In the Indian Ocean, which is not contiguous with China, she is aggressively trying to encircle India too. Single handedly none of China’s neighbors can take on the might of China. But united they can face China’s army from a position of strength.
As a visionary, Narendra Modi has prudently come to the conclusion that by uniting the tormented countries as a group China’s neighbors can be much better equipped to protect their territorial and maritime interests, than by trying to protect their territories in solitude. It is not just a coincidence that immediately after assuming the premiership of India, Narendra Modi paid a high profile official visit to our tiny neighbor Bhutan. Sharing a border with China, Bhutan is a small principality totally incapable of protecting its existence against the might of China. What Modi spoke in Bhutan was music to the ears of the Bhutanese ruler and his subjects. He offered India’s reassurance and financial aid in improving its infrastructure and connectivity. He offered India’s help to develop immense potential of hydro-electric power in Bhutan, the surplus of which could be exported to India, which has long term insatiable demand for power.
After Bhutan, Narendra Modi visited an emerging South American economic power Brazil, as a part of a new grouping called BRICS (Brazil + Russia + India + China + South Africa). While attending the BRICS conference, Narendra Modi accorded due importance to China. Modi did not go overboard to pamper China. While in Brazil, Narendra Modi went into overdrive to develop a closer bond with the emerging economies of Brazil our traditional all weather friend Russia as well as with Africa’s economic giant South Africa.
Seventeen years after the previous prime minister of India had set his foot in Nepal, Narendra Modi paid a much needed and high profile visit to that only Hindu country of the world. Being a Hindu majority country, India has a lot in common with Nepal. In deference to the wishes of the local people, he visited the most sacred temple in that country. He offered India’s help to the impoverished nation to develop hydel-power, for which that country has tremendous potential and India is badly in need of this clean renewable source of power for its ever growing needs.
Narendra Modi’s five day visit to Japan was a real hit with the government and the people of Japan. In Japan Modi uttered what was a symphony to the ears of all Japanese. He visited their most sacred Buddhist Pagoda. Narendra Modi asked for additional Japanese investment in India’s industrial sector. In return he got a commitment of investment worth thirty five billion dollars, including investment in industry, railways, road infrastructure, river cleaning and urban development. Modi did some indirect China bashing too, which his predecessors somehow failed to do.
Immediately after Modi’s triumphant tour of Japan, the Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott came calling. In Japan, Modi could not get a commitment for the supply of nuclear fuel, but Australia offered him plenty of nuclear fuel for its use in the production of energy. Even Australia, a distant neighbor of China, is worried about China’s expansionist designs in the territorial waters of the nations located in the Pacific Ocean. Developing close economic and military relationship with India is a priority for Australia too.
The litmus test of Narendra Modi’s statesmanship, of course, was supposed to be the success of his brinkmanship and diplomacy during his hectic five day long official visit to the United States, the only super power of the world. Narendra Modi arrived in New York on 26th of September. On his arrival in New York, he got a roaring welcome from thousands of Indians at the airport. His address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 27th was admired by most. On Sunday, the 28th of September, in the morning he addressed an unprecedented gathering of twenty thousand strong Indian diaspora in the famous Madison Square Garden in New York. What he said during his forty minute address was music to the expatriate Indian community. He promised to merge the PIO card with OCI card and make both eligible for lifelong Indian visa. He offered visa on arrival to American citizens at India’s international airports and a host of other concessions and incentives to visiting Indians and foreign investors. In the evening he made an unscheduled appearance at a previously planned rock concert in the Central Park New York.
On the morning of September 29th Narendra Modi attended an informal meeting of the heads of top business houses of America. Modi tried to woo them for investing fearlessly in India, where red-tape will not be a problem anymore.
On the evening of Monday the 29th he flew to Washington D.C. to attend a dinner hosted by the U.S. President Barack Obama. As a state guest of the president, he stayed not in a hotel but at the Blair House, which serves as the official guest house of the government. In the White House, Barack Obama and Narendra Modi authored a joint OP-ED (article) for the “Washington Post”. In the morning of September 30th President Barack Obama hosted a lunch meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Though nothing startling happened, but it became a meeting of hearts. Both leaders tried to understand each other and share what was common to both. They were on the same wavelength on terrorism. Both were committed to increased bi-lateral trade and close cooperation in defense purchases and production. They extended the duration of mutual partnership in defense by another ten years, which is a big achievement. Obviously there was no agreement on India’s partnership against ISIS or ISIL, which would have been a matter of heated criticism back home in India. Both leaders tried to reactivate the stalled Indo-US Nuclear Deal. No blunt message was sent to belligerent China. Overall this five day maiden trip of the new Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the United States proved successful.
Harjap Singh Aujla , harjapaujla@gmail.com
