INDIA - VIETNAM RELATIONS – INTERNATIONAL
News:
Rajnath Singh holds talks with Vietnamese defence minister
What's in the news?
● Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh held talks with his Vietnamese counterpart General Phan
Van Giang, who is on a two-day visit to India. Chief of Defence Staff General
Anil Chauhan and other top officials from the Ministry of Defence also attended
the meeting.
India Vietnam Relations:
● India
and Vietnam share traditionally close and cordial bilateral relations.
● India chaired the
International Commission for Supervision and Control (ICSC),
which was formed pursuant to the Geneva Accord of 1954 to facilitate the peace process
in Vietnam.
● Relations
between the two countries were elevated to the level of “Strategic Partnership” during the visit of Vietnam’s PM Nguyen
Tan Dung to India in July 2007.
● In
September 2016, during PM Modi’s visit to Vietnam, bilateral relations were
further elevated to the level of
“Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”.
Areas of Cooperation
1. Economic:
● During
FY April 2020 – March 2021, bilateral trade between India and Vietnam reached US$11.12 billion with India being a net
importer.
● Vietnam
is also keen for India to expand its presence in oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea and has firmly
maintained that the areas fall well within Vietnam’s economic zone.
2. Development partnership:
● Under
the Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) framework, India has been taking up various
projects in different provinces of Vietnam for development of community
infrastructure.
3. Defence:
● Vietnam
is an important partner in India’s Act
East policy and the Indo-Pacific vision.
● Vietnam
is interested in India’s Akash
surface-to-air systems and Dhruv advanced light helicopters and Brahmos
Missiles.
● India
recently handed over 12 high-speed guard
boats to Vietnam, in reflection of the growing congruence in maritime
security.
Vietnam’s Importance for India:
● Vietnam
is an important element of India’s Act
East Policy, which aims to reinvigorate its historical ties with countries
in Southeast and East Asia.
● There
are ample opportunities for closer connectivity
between India and Vietnam via Myanmar and existing transit routes in Cambodia
and Laos.
● India’s
growing economy needs energy resources
and Vietnam has rich hydrocarbon reserves.
● India’s
state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC Videsh) has been searching
for oil in disputed waters off Vietnam.
● Also,
Vietnam lies at a center stage of the “Necklace
of Diamonds Strategy” that aims at garlanding China or in simple words, the
counter encirclement strategy.
● India
is expanding its naval bases and is also improving relations with strategically
placed countries to counter China’s
strategies.
India’s significance to Vietnam:
● For
Vietnam, India could be a bulwark against
the dominance of any single country in the region.
● Hanoi
has a long-festering territorial dispute with Beijing in the South China Sea,
which has worsened since 2014.
● In
the past, India has additionally conducted capacity-building
programs for Vietnamese defence personnel.
● Besides,
there are numerous opportunities to increase
trade between the two countries.
● Indian
companies can infuse much needed capital
and technology into the Vietnamese market to bring it to par with its East
Asian counterparts.
● Then
there is the strong cultural aspect
to the relationship, with Buddhism seeping into Vietnam from the land of its
birth in India.
China Factor in Bilateral ties:
● The
China factor also weighs heavily in the respective strategic calculus of India
and Vietnam.
● Both
countries had fought wars with China and both have border problems with that
country.
● China aggressively
continues to encroach in the territories of the two countries.
● Hence,
it is natural for both the countries to come closer with a view to restrain
China from its aggressive actions.
WAY FORWARD:
● By
enhancing ties with Hanoi, India can incorporate the same template in engaging with other Southeast Asian states
such as the Philippines.
● The
close relationship between the two countries is significant for maintaining strategic balance in South
East Asia which is witnessing aggressive Chinese activities.
● Both
Countries need to leverage the economic
opportunities left out of anti-China sentiments and several manufacturing
firms deciding to shift from China.
● Both
Countries should expedite the process of negotiations for finalization of defence deals.
● Moreover,
India can learn from Vietnam’s open
trade policy, due to which Vietnam’s exports have grown by about 240% in
the past eight years.
India's
foreign policy envisages India to play an anchor for peace, prosperity and
stability in Asia and Africa, deepening ties with Vietnam will only strengthen
this narrative.