India, under the guided vision of Narendra Modi, expands its ties with the United States, when the Chinese government expressed its displeasure with the Indo-US joint statement which mentions maritime disputes, referring specifically to the South China Sea. China even warned that India should not fall prey to the ulterior motives of the United States.
It is true that the Chinese factor specifically the aggression in its attitude by gradual opening up of its over-ambitions, has been one of the determining and motivating factor of the India-US partnership and relationship in the past decade only to maintain a multi-polar and stable Asia .
Yes a visible shift has taken place this time, a perceptible shift : the reluctance to publicly articulate it has been shed in New Delhi and Washington, with the two countries signing on to a “Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean Region’.
This is the first time the two countries have put out a comprehensive document, at the highest level, projecting this joint outlook, a fact which has annoyed Beijing. While agreeing on its significance, analysts differ on its import.
Both Delhi and Washington pledged to ‘promote the shared values that have made our countries great’ and underlined their joint commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The vision speaks of developing a road map to increase ties among Asian powers, strengthening regional dialogue, and making trilateral consultations more robust.
Here in Delhi's this visit of Obama, there is one similarity or rather it is continuation of the theme which was seen in the joint statement during PM Narendra Modi’s last visit to US, when the joint vision reiterated, “We affirm the importance of safeguarding maritime security and ensuring freedom of navigation and over flight throughout the region, especially in the South China Sea.”
The leaders agreed and called on parties to avoid ‘threat or use of force and pursue resolution of territorial and maritime disputes through all peaceful means, in accordance with universally recognised principles of international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of Sea.”
INDIA HONEST sees it as a clear endorsement of India's stable policy of standing with the threatened and oppressed nations, specifically the smaller states that also includes Vietnam or The Philippines or even India dislikes Chinese hawkish eye on Japan and other nations in South East Asia.
IH agrees with the former diplomat, who said that "the statement itself is significant because it is the first time US and India have put out a joint vision for Asia, ‘components of the statement’ are not very different from what India and US had said and done in the past or were doing currently."
IH sees merit in the logical caution that, “This should not be read as any kind of alliance building against China for the simple reason that a seminal part of both India’s foreign policy and American policy is close engagement with Beijing.”