It’s been just about a week since India hosted China and the two countries discussed the issues at their border as well as worked to strengthen trade ties. China saw this as a victory and India no doubt did as well. But now India is looking to another country for help - Japan. Being as how Japan and China are not the best of friends by any means, there is some tension building.
The chief topics of discussion revolved around Japan investing in Indian infrastructure and helping to develop India’s resources as well as the two countries cooperating more in the area of defense. This last subject was perhaps the most controversial, as both countries are currently experiencing trouble with China trying to strong-arm territory away from them. Their explanation for increased military cooperation did not mention China by name, of course, but was phrased as an attempt to keep stability in the region by discouraging aggressive behavior. In addition, Japan and India have agreed to increased numbers of joint naval exercises and Japan even offered to sell India some advanced sea planes. This last act is unprecedented, coming from a country that has previously held to a strict policy of never exporting arms.
China’s response was predictable. Their state-run media attacked Japan and accused them of being thieves. They also attempted to warn off India from creating any alliance with their rivals. Given that China is fairly unpopular with most of the region at this point, I doubt their words will have much impact on this situation.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - China’s bullying tactics are going to backfire on them and end up hurting their bid for power in the Far East. The cooperation being shown between India and Japan right now is just the first sign of proof. As the two countries become closer allies, no doubt other countries will want in on the deal. India has a plentiful supply of undeveloped natural resources and could easily help many of their neighbors step off from relying too heavily on one country. If China doesn’t improve their reputation fast, they will find themselves on the losing side of this economic showdown.
India-Japan flags courtesy of rediff.com
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