US - India "quietly" join hands to create a "pincer" to counter China

While China is “in turmoil” over the trade war with the US, “headache” over the North Korea issue and “hot-headed” over the UK-US challenge to its illegal sovereignty claims in the East Sea, Washington has “quietly” joined hands with New Delhi to form a “pincer” to counterbalance Beijing.

Is America's "mission" to help India beat China?

It can be said that it was the People's Republic of China that shaped the US-India relationship since the declaration of independence in 1949.

Fifty-five years ago, a Massachusetts senator pointed out that “there is a struggle between India and China for the economic and political leadership of the East, for the respect of all Asia, and for the opportunity to demonstrate whose way of life is better.” He argued that it was important for the United States to help India win that competition with China.

A few months later, the senator became the 38th President of the United States, Gerald Ford. Not only him but also the man he defeated, Richard Nixon, had earlier highlighted the importance of America helping India succeed in the competition between “two great nations of Asia”.

That goal became even clearer under Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy, and it became an “unwritten rule” that the United States had a national interest in strengthening India even if New Delhi did not always “see eye to eye” with Washington.

On September 6, that “unwritten rule” was once again demonstrated when the US and India signed an important military-to-military information exchange agreement during the visit of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense James Mattis to New Delhi. This highlighted the growing partnership between the two countries as both the US and India seek to contain the rise of China.

More than a decade of waiting

The US-India information exchange agreement has been under discussion for more than a decade. But India has been hesitant to sign the agreement with the US in the past, partly because of concerns that the US could gain access to Indian military information.

It was only now, when the relationship between the US and India entered “a new era” – in the words of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo – that the above agreement officially became a reality.

Secretary Pompeo and Defense Secretary James Mattis are in New Delhi for a 2+2 meeting with their Indian counterparts, a mechanism to promote areas of cooperation and reduce tensions between the two sides. Pompeo stressed that the meeting is “symbol of the increasingly close relationship” between the US and India.

At the grand strategic level, both the United States and India are keen to develop closer ties. Each sees the other not only as a valuable partner in containing China’s ambitions in Asia, but also as an ally in counterterrorism efforts.

The amount of military equipment the US sells to India has increased significantly over the past decade and Washington is now India's second-largest arms supplier.

The Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) that Mattis and his Indian counterpart signed on September 6 is a type of foundational agreement that the US often uses to create a framework for military cooperation with other countries. Washington has similar agreements with nearly 30 countries around the world.

The agreement breaks down past barriers to give India access to encrypted US technology. Under the agreement, India will receive defense communications equipment from the US and the two sides will exchange information provided in real time on platforms used by their militaries. COMCASA, which will come into effect immediately, will give India access to “advanced defense systems and take full advantage of US platforms.”

The agreement also called on India's neighbouring rival Pakistan to stop harbouring terrorist organisations, a move that has delighted New Delhi.

“If India shows a willingness to push for politically ‘twisted’ agreements that make strategic sense, that’s a good sign,” said Joshua White, a former senior adviser for South Asia on the National Security Council under the Obama administration.

Of course, Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is extremely enthusiastic about the prospect of further cooperation, saying that defense cooperation “has emerged as the most prominent trend in our strategic partnerships and a key driver of our overall bilateral relations,” and that it adds “an extremely positive energy” to the US-India relationship.

But in reality, apart from defense cooperation, the relationship between the US and India has probably not progressed much.

War without guns

The not-so-sweet relationship between the US and India is evident in the fact that the 2+2 meeting, which was supposed to be held in Washington, was postponed twice by the Trump administration.

India is one of many targets in US President Donald Trump's "expedition" to cut the US trade deficit with countries around the world, and the two countries have had retaliatory tariffs on each other.

The Trump administration wants to force India to import more American goods, while also wanting New Delhi to drastically reduce its oil purchases from Iran, or else Washington will take uncompromising sanctions.

However, during this visit, Secretary of State Pompeo showed a much softer tone in areas where disagreements still exist between the two countries.

Many countries, including India, “are in a position where it will take them a little while to reverse” their oil imports from Iran, Pompeo said. “We will work with them, I assure you, to find a meaningful outcome.”

Mr. Pompeo also affirmed that the US will cooperate with India in another area of ​​concern, which is India's preparation to buy the Russian S-400 missile and air defense system. This would put India in the crosshairs of the US Congress for sanctions against any country buying Russian weapons, but US lawmakers left open the possibility that the President could make an exception.

The US has yet to make a decision on whether to exempt India from sanctions, but Mr. Pompeo affirmed that the US understands “the history of India’s relationship with Russia” and that the US effort here “is not to punish strategic partners like India.”