Growing India-Vietnam ties good for the region
In what can be called an upgradation of defence ties between India and Vietnam, both the countries, represented by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his Vietnamese counterpart General Ngo Xuan lich, inked a long-pending deal this week, where India agreed to coach 30 Vietnamese Air Force pilots to fly Sukhoi fighter jets. This is the second such training exercise between the two countries. Indian forces have successfully trained Vietnamese submariners to operate Russian-built Kilo-class submarines. Bilateral ties between India and Vietnam are traditional and historic. Since time immemorial, India has stood by Vietnam in times of crises — be it during the liberation War against the United States in the 1960s and 1970s; or when Beijing declared military intervention against it in 1979, which propelled Atal Bihari Vajpayee to cut short his China visit in protest. India has since then been consistent in its support to Vietnam — diplomatically, politically and morally. The bonding between the two countries grew by leaps and bounds, so much so that from just providing political and diplomatic support, they entered into trade agreements in defence and security cooperation. With the Modi Government assuming power, the relation reached new heights as bilateral ties were upgraded — from “strategic partnership” to “comprehensive strategic partnership”. There have been several high-level visits since then. The most historic of them was when Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to the G20 summit in China, made a short trip to Vietnam to sign numerous agreements, especially on defence and security sectors. Military engagements now include sale of hardware, intelligence-gathering and exchange, training in warfare etc.
But there must be a reason for the recent increased focus on arms sales and defence cooperation between New Delhi and Hanoi. And it's not just India, but Japan and the US too have found strategic congruence with Vietnam. The ‘China factor' has been the common thread which has propelled the three countries to increase diplomatic outreach to Vietnam. New Delhi and Hanoi have their concerns — both are on the same page as far as China's assertiveness in the Asia Pacific region is concerned. Vietnam is engaged in a bitter territorial dispute with the Middle Kingdom over navigation rights in the South China Sea and wants India, along with Japan and the US, to stand up to the Chinese threat. India’s concern on the other hand, has to do with China taking control of some of the world's busiest sea lanes where it is engaged in oil exploration activities. China, of course, is not happy with the new India-Vietnam bonhomie and warily eyeing the development. In view of the rising defence needs, it is important that both India and Vietnam nurture the ties further for mutual benefits. Nevertheless, India must not get bogged down. Remember, Vietnam may have strained political equations with China, but it also has a robust trade relation.