India's 'Act East' plan is 'lesson' to China
Washington welcomes Modi's robust diplomacy and hopes two nations will find new ways to work together during Obama's landmark visit
When Sri Lankan voters unexpectedly turfed out President Mahinda Rajapaksa in an election this month, it was the biggest setback in decades for China's expansion into South Asia - and a remarkable diplomatic victory for India.
New Delhi might be publicly protesting otherwise, but the emerging view that Indian agents played a key role in organising opposition to the pro-China Rajapaksa will have delighted the United States.
It is against this backdrop that US President Barack Obama makes his landmark visit to India on Sunday.
India has pushed back against China elsewhere in the region since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in May, improving ties with Japan and Vietnam, both locked in territorial disputes with Beijing, and contesting a port project in Bangladesh that could otherwise have been a cakewalk for China.
The new robust diplomacy, which Modi calls "Act East", is being regarded warmly in Washington, which has been nudging India for years to dovetail with the US' strategic pivot toward the region.
Obama will be the chief guest at New Delhi's showpiece Republic Day military parade, and rarely for a presidential trip, is not scheduled to visit any other country before returning to Washington.