Opinion | Why India’s bid to bring Russia into the Indo-Pacific initiative is unwise

Name: China ends fishing ban in South China Sea, raising fear of potential conflicts among fishermen
Uploaded: 2020-08-24T19:30:46.000Z
Duration: 1 min 24 s
Description: China ends fishing ban in South China Sea, raising fear of potential conflicts among fishermen

Russian involvement in the Indo-Pacific will help India avoid making tough choices in the US-China face-off and could induce a split between Moscow and Beijing

However, given close Russia-China military and economic ties, this is unlikely to happen. Instead, India could anger its allies in the Quad and Asean

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin chat while visiting a shipyard outside the far-eastern Russian port of Vladivostok on September 4, 2019. Photo: AP

Mohamed Zeeshan

Published: 3:30am, 25 Aug 2020Updated: 4:16am, 25 Aug 2020

India has a difficult foreign policy problem on its hands. While New Delhi would like a balance against Beijing in the wake of recent tensions, it also prefers to remain non-aligned in China’s geopolitical rivalry with the United States in the Indo-Pacific. In a bid to solve that quandary, India has turned to an unlikely quarter: Russia.

In June, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh used a trip to Moscow for a delayed Victory Day parade to urge Russia to expedite the delivery of defence equipment. Then, India’s ambassador to Russia floated the idea of Moscow participating in the Indo-Pacific initiative.

With the idea having gained currency among many strategic analysts in New Delhi, India mooted the possibility of Russian involvement in a trilateral engagement with Japan. But that’s just a start; India and Russia will have their annual summit in October and chances are that the Indo-Pacific will feature on that agenda.

By pulling Russia into the Indo-Pacific, India hopes to escape making tough choices in the US-China face-off. New Delhi is also trying to induce a split between Russia and China by appealing to shared interests over freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Among other initiatives, India and Russia are currently working on a sea route from Chennai to Vladivostok, the success of which would depend on peace in the South China Sea.

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China ends fishing ban in South China Sea, raising fear of potential conflicts among fishermen

If Moscow can be convinced that Chinese aggression is a threat, New Delhi believes it will become a useful partner in the Indo-Pacific. The presence of another major military power, capable of providing a balance to the US and China, will help turn the bipolar geopolitical battlefield into a multipolar arena – with greater space for middle powers like India itself.

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