Opinion: India is not about to play the US game of rivalry with China
Mohan Guruswamy writes that India’s policy of strategic autonomy means it will always act in its own interests and fight its own battles
Last month US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson dropped by New Delhi during a five-nation hop that included Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan and Switzerland. A month earlier, Tillerson had visited China to lay the groundwork for US President Donald Trump’s visit to China this week.
China-US ties have been strained by Trump’s criticism of China’s trade practices and by demands that Beijing do more to rein in North Korea. A visit by US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross preceded Tillerson’s visit, during which, we can presume, the only topic discussed would have been the ever-increasing trade gap between the two countries, and the gripes Trump aired during his presidential campaign.
These visitations clearly highlight the differing perceptions of the US vis-à-vis China and India.
In the run-up to Tillerson’s visit to India, the US media made no secret about the trip’s purpose. The view was that as China’s clout in the Asia-Pacific region rose, the US was wooing India into a closer embrace.
Indians chafe at the suggestion that China’s growing power is why the US sees value in ties with India. India has a certain sense of self-esteem that the Americans misunderstand entirely. India doesn’t want its relationship to depend on the intensity of the US’ competition with China.