Modi visit draws India, Japan to close proximity
If we were to cut across rhetoric and semantics and concentrate on substance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Japan has been a huge success. Tokyo has pledged to invest more than two lakh crore rupees over the next five years in various infrastructure projects in India; Mr Modi has announced the creation of a ‘Japan Plus’ cell in the Prime Minister's Office to supervise and fast-track India-Japan proposals; work to smoothen the creases in the proposed India-Japan civil nuclear deal is in full swing (the agreement could be a reality in the coming months if not weeks); Japan will provide expertise in transforming the ancient town of Varanasi (which the Indian Prime Minister represents in the lok Sabha) into a model city like Kyoto which has preserved its cultural traditions alongside having smart development; and, both New Delhi and Tokyo will now take forward their trade relationship to a new level with the announcement of the Japan-India Investment Promotion Partnership. Enhanced trade between the two was on the cards for two reasons. The first is that bilateral trade is far from having reached its full potential. For instance, there has been virtually no cooperation between the two countries on energy security. The second reason is the personal equation between Mr Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe. As Mr Modi remarked, his friendship with Mr Abe goes back to years. The chemistry that the two leaders share was bound to translate into greater trade relationship between Tokyo and New Delhi. Commercial gain apart, the other reason for the warming up of ties is the commonality in strategic interests that the two nations have. Both Japan and India realise that together they can be a strong and assertive voice in the Asian region. While Japan has a running feud with China over a disputed island, New Delhi has been battling repeated Chinese incursions into Indian territory, which Beijing considers disputed. Partly with a view to please his hosts but primarily to send across a message that India stands for cooperation and not confrontation, Mr Modi made an oblique reference to China when he said that certain countries were rooted in the 18th century idea of expansionism on land and in the seas.
But it would be wrong to interpret the remark as a censure by Mr Modi of Beijing's actions. The Indian Prime Minister has simply made the ground position clear in ideological terms, and there is nothing to indicate a change in his stand to have sound relations with China through a peaceful, though swift, resolution of the border issue, and a greater enhancement of trade relations with its neighbour. Since Mr Modi has for long admired China's rise as a global economic power, he will be seeking to work in close cooperation with that country in the coming months. New Delhi and Beijing are leaving no stone unturned to make the upcoming visit to India by Chinese President Xi Jinping a major success. It is unlikely that the India-Japan bonhomie will adversely impact the improvement in relations between New Delhi and Beijing. Both India and China demonstrated a welcome understanding of issues during the recently concluded BRICS summit. Their leaders even appeared to bond well. Neither of the countries will want that momentum to be wasted.