The Smooth Start of the US-India Strategic Alliance

(Baonghean.vn) - China has just muddied the East Sea, joined hands and provoked the China-India border, Russia-China "remarriage" from the gas pipeline agreement... has forced major countries including India and the US to reconsider their cooperative relationship.

A new strategic alliance between the United States and India is being built rapidly following Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United States.

The Indian government's press release said: India's priority focus during its recent visit to the United States was to promote economic cooperation and build trade and investment relations with the United States. The total trade volume of 63 billion USD between the two countries each year has been a source of frustration for both sides. That is why during this visit, the Indian Prime Minister launched the "Make in India" movement, under which American companies will enjoy preferential policies and incentives from the Government, and will be welcomed "with a red carpet from the beginning of the border". The unprecedented expansion in India is to encourage all industries of American companies, including the construction of industrial infrastructure, defense, and weapons production on Indian soil.

Cooperation in arms production and high-tech development is what India hopes to promote with the US. Therefore, Prime Minister N. Modi has tried every way to convince US multinational companies to choose India as their investment destination - a growing economy, a market with consumer spending in 2013 of 1,100 billion USD and expected to reach 4,300 billion USD in 2020.

In addition to developing medium- and long-term plans to promote economic, trade, and investment cooperation, the US and Indian governments have taken many effective measures to strengthen security and defense, and coordinate actions on international issues such as Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, fighting the Islamic State (IS), and the East Sea.

The close relationship between a superpower and an emerging economy has become the focus of international public opinion. Because of the strategic importance of this relationship, both sides have turned a blind eye to diplomatic cracks. That was the diplomatic scandal when US authorities arrested the Deputy Consul General of India in New York on charges of visa fraud and exploiting the labor of domestic workers. In response to this action by the US, India also expelled a senior US diplomat in the country and asked all US diplomats and consulate staff to return their identity cards and revoked the exemption status for US diplomatic envoys in India. Putting aside the grudges, the visits of heads of state and high-ranking officials between the two countries have shown that the US-India relationship is warming up and moving smoothly towards a comprehensive cooperative alliance. The most recent dialogue between B.Obama and N.Modi showed that Washington is proactively promoting relations with New Delhi, the two sides highly agreed on "building 5 pillars" of strategic cooperation including: Energy and climate change, education and development, cooperation in trade and agriculture, cooperation in science and technology, cooperation in health. During his recent visit, US Secretary of State John Kerry affirmed that the friendly relationship with India is one of the US's long-term strategic priorities and affirmed that "this is the most appropriate time to transform the potential" in the partnership when the two countries are determined to realize strategic opportunities.

In fact, both countries clearly see the increased interests of each country in this strategic relationship. The US Secretary of State did not bother to hide the statement: This is a strategic rebalancing in the Asia Pacific of the US. In addition to maritime interests, India also has interests in handling issues of the Sino-Indian border, Russia-India relations, and most notably Afghanistan, which is like a "fire on the side". In the context of the US-Pakistan relationship being assessed as very complicated and sensitive, Washington's search for India's active role in the reconstruction of Pakistan is a necessary point. And especially in the face of China's aggression in the East Sea, the US-India relationship is an effective brake on this aggression. Not to mention that India is currently the largest arms supplier of the US.

In addition to the Eastward strategy to strengthen its role and position in the region, India's strategic alliance with the US is considered "wise" by international commentators. Because India is pursuing an independent and autonomous diplomatic policy, not becoming a tool in anyone's hands and not depending on other countries, along with opening the US-India alliance, India also focuses on increasing the India-Japan and India-China relations, which is a calculated step for the peace, stability and development of this country.

That's how interesting it is that on the world stage, the compromises of the big countries contain their long-term contents and all satisfy a thirst, the thirst: if big, must be bigger.

Nguyen Khac Thuan