India-China Rapprochement Bad News For West's Military Industrial Complex
20:16 23.10.2024 (Updated: 12:03 24.10.2024)
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, shortly after reaching a breakthrough in their border standoff, which lasted almost five years.
The warming of relations between India and China is bad news for Western defence companies, considering they thrice in an environment of hostility between countries, an Indian military veteran has said.
The entire military-industrial complex of the West benefits from a war-like scenario or a military standoff between states—be it India and China or India and Pakistan, retired commodore of Indian Navy and current Director General of the Chennai Centre for China Studies (C3S) think tank, Seshadri Vasan, told Sputnik India on Wednesday.
"Better India-China relations are a blow to the American arms lobby because it is the Western weapons manufacturers that benefit the most due to instability and tensions all over the world, including South Asia," Vasan stated.
Therefore, anything that smoothens the relations between New Delhi and Beijing isn't good news for Western defence behemoths, the former officer explained.
Both sides were very keen to resolve their border dispute, as at least since August India and China have been speaking in a conciliatory tone, he highlighted. They worked extremely hard to reach this agreement, in essence, marking the opening of a new chapter in India-China bilateral relations, especially given the challenges following the Galwan Valley incident four years ago, the think tanker noted.
Both sides were very keen to resolve their border dispute, as at least since August India and China have been speaking in a conciliatory tone, he highlighted. They worked extremely hard to reach this agreement, in essence, marking the opening of a new chapter in India-China bilateral relations, especially given the challenges following the Galwan Valley incident four years ago, the think tanker noted.
He argued that the Indian leadership deserves credit for emphasising that without peace and stability at the frontier, the relationship between the countries could not progress.
Detente between New Delhi and Beijing would have a ripple effect on BRICS too, Vasan underlined.
Nearly 35 states have shown interest in joining BRICS, making it a major bloc in terms of solidarity among developing countries and that's why rapprochement between India and China serves as a major boost to the organisation, the commentator asserted.
Detente between New Delhi and Beijing would have a ripple effect on BRICS too, Vasan underlined.
Nearly 35 states have shown interest in joining BRICS, making it a major bloc in terms of solidarity among developing countries and that's why rapprochement between India and China serves as a major boost to the organisation, the commentator asserted.
"This is important for particularly Global South nations that are looking for technical and financial assistance. Also, it is vital for those nations that are seeking an alternative to the Western-dominated world order and are keen to explore economic support systems that fall outside the purview of the IMF and the World Bank," Vasan highlighted.
Additionally, this would help the BRICS in forming a common agenda that would help all the existing members as well as the countries that could be a part of the grouping in the next few years, he summed up.
The bbreakthrough between India and China is a welcome development with Russia appearing to have played the role of a facilitator, if not a mediator, Delhi-based China expert Dr Rup Narayan Das, a former Senior Fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), suggested.
The bbreakthrough between India and China is a welcome development with Russia appearing to have played the role of a facilitator, if not a mediator, Delhi-based China expert Dr Rup Narayan Das, a former Senior Fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), suggested.
"Russia, China, and India are the three major pillars of the BRICS and the triangular cooperation between Russia, China, and India in the grouping is a matter of anxiety to the West, particularly, the US. While Russia continues to be a tested and trusted friend of India, there is a trust deficit with China, which the US takes advantage of," Das said in a conversation with Sputnik India.
However, camaraderie between Modi and Xi and peace and tranquility at the border could result in greater cooperation between India and China, especially on the economic front, he asserted. Furthermore, China should be sensitive to India's interests, including its bid for permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Besides, India's nuanced approach to Quad should be reassuring to China, he underscored.
On the other hand, Dr Srikanth Kondapalli, the Dean of the School of International Studies at the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi, opined that the bilateral talks between PM Modi and President Jinping were significant, given the latest developments between the two neighbors.
While Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced that Indian troops would resume patrolling in border areas they patrolled before the standoff in May 2020, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar commented that the status quo would be restored between the two sides.
Furthermore, despite tensions in their bilateral relations, the two Asian giants have coordinated in a multilateral field, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), BRICS, and World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Resolution Mechanism, on climate change issues, the subject of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank reorganisation and trade in local currencies, Kondapalli remarked.
On the other hand, Dr Srikanth Kondapalli, the Dean of the School of International Studies at the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi, opined that the bilateral talks between PM Modi and President Jinping were significant, given the latest developments between the two neighbors.
While Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced that Indian troops would resume patrolling in border areas they patrolled before the standoff in May 2020, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar commented that the status quo would be restored between the two sides.
Furthermore, despite tensions in their bilateral relations, the two Asian giants have coordinated in a multilateral field, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), BRICS, and World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Resolution Mechanism, on climate change issues, the subject of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank reorganisation and trade in local currencies, Kondapalli remarked.
"Since India and China are standing by each other on these issues, it should worry the West, but one shouldn't jump ship and wait for some time to see if the warming of relations between New Delhi and Beijing would lead to enhanced cooperation," he concluded.
