India spreads wings in China’s neighbourhood
If Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to China hoping to start clearing out the cobwebs of history that have left the two nations distrustful of each other, his subsequent trips to China's neighbouring countries, Mongolia and South Korea, sent out a clear message to Beijing that India is ready and willing to spread its wings in the neighbourhood. In other words, if China can make its presence felt in India's neighbourhood, be it Sri lanka, Nepal or even Bhutan, India can also occasionally move into China's near abroad. This is not to say that the trips to Mongolia and South Korea had no standalone value of their own, but just that China was always the elephant, or well, the dragon, in the room. Note that in both countries, Mr Modi played up the religious and cultural ties that they shared with India.
Buddhism especially was an important motif and the ground for the Big Buddhist Push was set even before Mr Modi left the country. These are smart moves because, no matter how many traditional instruments Mr Modi plays in these countries or temples and pagodas he tours, the cold hard fact is that, at this point in time, India cannot match China's economic or military might. In terms of hard power, China is much ahead in the race. However, India has soft power, and no amount of Chinese money can buy this off. Mr Modi's Mongolia and South Korea tours must also be seen against the backdrop of his visits to Japan, Singapore and Myanmar, and the importance his administration has accorded to Vietnam.
India's look East policy, which focuses on the south-east Asian countries in China's backyard, has also been revitalised into the Act East policy. Add to that the Indian Ocean tour earlier this year, and it is clear that New Delhi is underlining its position as an Asian powerhouse and not just a South Asian player. It is positioning itself as a geo-political equal to China by leveraging its soft power potential.
This was most clearly seen in the trip to Mongolia. The small country is a sensitive point in China's foreign policy, given that the latter had, in 1911, swallowed half of the traditional Mongol heartland. In the 1950s, China opposed Mongolia's induction into the United Nations while India argued in its favour, becoming the first country outside of the Soviet bloc to support it. Mongolia returned the favour two decades later, when, alongside Bhutan, it became one of the earliest countries to recognise the newly-liberated Bangladesh. In between, it was a former Indian Ambassador and a highly regarded Buddhist monk and scholar, who helped revive Buddhism in the country as it moved from a communist to a democratic regime. Mongolia has also been actively looking for a ‘third neighbour', and India is best suited for the purpose.
In South Korea, the geo-political angle may have been slightly dimmed by the economic angle, but it was still very much there. Here too Mr Modi emphasised cultural ties between the two countries that pre-date the era of lG and Samsung, South Korean brands that have become household names in India. Also, South Korea will now become the second country (after Japan) to have a special diplomatic and security dialogue in the 2+2 format with India, highlighting yet again this country's growing regional clout.