The India-Vietnam relationship has its distinct imperative and dynamism. It is based on genuine mutual regard, common principles and converging ideology. Vietnam has in the true sense been India’s tried and trusted friend
President Pranab Mukherjee began his four-day visit to Vietnam on Sunday, and it ends on September 17. In India’s look East policy, Vietnam has been a major pivot, at least in terms of security and strategic imperatives. President Mukherjee shares a strong emotional bonding with Vietnam and holds the fearless people of the country in high esteem for their heroic fight against imperialism and colonialism, and for their tenacity and valour.
Vietnam has been consistently supportive of India’s engagement with the Association of South East Asian Nations and its other outfits such as the East Asia Summit, Asean Regional Forum and Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting. India had extended political support to Vietnam during its protracted liberation struggle, and New Delhi had been actively involved in the historic Geneva Conference of 1954 that brought peace, although elusive, to the region.
There was deep friendship and understanding between then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Vietnam’s leader Ho Chi Minh. The legendary military leader of Vietnam, General Vo Nguyen Giap, too was held in high esteem in India, particularly by the leaders belonging to the communist persuasion. In that sense, India’s engagement predates its look East policy. It may be recalled that in 1979, when Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited China as the country’s External Affairs Minister, he cut short his trip to the country when war broke out between the two countries, as a mark of respect for Vietnam.
In recent times, India’s engagement with Vietnam has been elevated to a strategic level. There is also an institutional mechanism of the foreign office consultation and strategic dialogue between the two countries. There has been an exchange of visits between defence personnel of the two countries from time to time. Naval ships from India have also been making port calls at Vietnamese ports. The Indian Navy has been supplying critical spare parts to Hanoi for its Russian-origin ships and boats.
India’s foray into the South China Sea has indeed given a new twist to its engagement with Vietnam and to India’s look East policy. There has been a perception that India’s foray into the South China Sea is a containment of China. The fact is that the cooperation between ONGC Videsh and Petro-Vietnam goes back to the 1980s, which led to the signing of the production-sharing contract between Hydrocarbon India ltd, renamed later as ONGC Videsh, and Petro-Vietnam, in May 1988.
later, in June 2006, they signed the deal for the award of two exploration blocks, 127 and 128 in Phu Khanh basin in Vietnam through regular bidding process. The extant agreement which was signed between India Vietnam in September 2011 during the visit of Vietnamese President was intended for developing long-term cooperation in oil and gas industry and remained in force for three years.
Some of the key areas in which both the companies are desirous to cooperate are related to exchange of information on the petroleum industry, new investments, expansion and operations of oil and gas exploration and production including refining, transportation and supply to Vietnam, India and others.
Besides the state-owned ONGC Videsh, private players like Essar Oil have been engaged in oil exploration in the South China Sea. The OVl efforts to drill a well in block 128 in Vietnam were not successful due to logistic constraints in anchoring the rig on a hard sea bottom. ONGC Videsh earlier had abandoned block 127 after it failed to find any hydrocarbons there. OVl continues operations at block 6.1 in the same region, from where it got 2 billion cubic meters of gas in 2011-12 for its 45 per cent participating interest. Consequent upon the expiry of the agreement in June this year, the Vietnamese side have shown interest to renew the agreement with India to explore hydrocarbon in some new blocks, which they claim are not disputed waters.
India has already made its position clear with regard to the South China Sea issue. It has made known that its engagement in the South China Sea is purely for commercial purposes. New Delhi is of the view that the South China Sea issue should be resolved peacefully by the countries concerned in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the laws of the Sea. It, however, supports freedom of navigation.
There is a perception in some sections in strategic circles that India’s foray into the South China Sea is in response to China’s advances in the Indian Ocean and its infrastructural development in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, an issue of concern to India. India’s nuanced position is that it stands for a cooperative, inclusive and rule- based security architecture.
The India-Vietnam relationship has its own imperatives and dynamism. It is based on genuine friendship, principles and ideology. Vietnam is indeed a trusted and tested friend of India.