India-US defense pact: An Effort to reduce China's influence in the region?

India-US defense pact: An Effort to reduce China’s influence in the region?

General Martin Dempsey spoke of an address about China before retiring from the post of US Chief of Staff in 2014. He had said that “the United States may soon be forced to openly confront China, as it did during the Cold War with the Soviet Union.” His words seem to be true today. General Dempsey made the remarks in 2012 in the context of the Obama administration’s foreign policy of prioritizing East Asia.

There is no doubt that the biggest problem of the United States at the moment is China and the two countries have been fighting a ‘tariff war’ since mid-2018. Relations between the two countries have deteriorated to the point that analysts are comparing them to the days of the Cold War. The US foreign policy of prioritizing East Asia was designed to curb China’s growing power. Under it, plans were drawn up to strengthen bilateral relations with the new multilateral alliances.

The then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton advocated a “broader military presence in the region”. This is the reason that the United States of America has signed an agreement with India. as per this agreement, the United States of America will share sensitive satellite information with India. As this information is sensitive so we do not know any details about the agreement. that what type of information will be shared with India. The speculations that actually this agreement is done to control the power of China in the region. India may be able to tackle the Chinese attack better with the help of this information.

India would certainly be love to be in this agreement with the United States of America as it humiliated badly during his last encounter with China. China not only occupied a large piece of land in Indian territory but also killed a large number of Indian soldiers. China still claimed that the territory they occupied during this encounter actually belongs to China. but the fact is that India also has claimes on this territory. in fact, it was under the control of Indian authorities before this moment of China.

Anti-China alliance?
Since then, the United States has sought to include many Asian countries, including India, in its military alliance against China. It is not that the US is trying to include India in its alliance, but it has been trying to include other countries in its campaign. However, it is clear that the White House has considered India as the most important country in the region to help stop China. Ahead of his recent visit to India and three other countries, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, “I am sure that my meetings will also discuss how independent states can be born out of the Chinese Communist Party.” They can work together to thwart threats. The US Secretary of State is currently in India, after which he will visit Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Indonesia. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump have a good relationship and everyone knows that. In light of this, the Trump administration is stepping up its efforts to further strengthen defense ties between the world’s two largest democracies. In the midst of all this, India’s inclination towards the United States seems to be growing in the hope of dealing with the ongoing tensions with China in eastern Ladakh.
Malabar Navy exercise
According to Rana Mittar, an expert on Chinese affairs and a professor at Oxford University, if India is leaning towards the United States, then China is responsible. “Last year and this year, a series of diplomatic visits and meetings have begun between the two sides,” said Jyoti Mangal, an Indian-born journalist in Los Angeles. This is an indication that India is slowly increasing its inclination towards the United States against its will, although it (India) is still showing caution in this matter. Former diplomat and Mumbai-based think tank Gateway House’s Neelam Dev disagrees. He believes that India’s relations with the United States have been steadily improving over the past 20 years. “The current president creates an atmosphere of better relations with India for the next president,” she said. The third ministerial meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday should be seen in this context. It should also be seen in the context of the Indian-led ‘Malabar Naval Exercises‘ in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean next month. Participating countries in these joint exercises include India, the United States, Australia, and Japan. The Quad Group is based in all four countries. Australia withdrew from naval exercises 12 years ago under pressure from China. India has openly challenged China this time by inviting Australia to be part ofthe exercise again.
What happened in the first two meetings?
According to Rana Mittar, an expert on Chinese affairs and a professor at Oxford University, if India is leaning towards the United States, then China is responsible. “Last year and this year, a series of diplomatic visits and meetings have begun between the two sides,” said Jyoti Mangal, an Indian-born journalist in Los Angeles. This is an indication that India is slowly increasing its inclination towards the United States against its will, although it (India) is still showing caution in this matter. Former diplomat and Mumbai-based think tank Gateway House’s Neelam Dev disagrees. He believes that India’s relations with the United States have been steadily improving over the past 20 years. “The current president creates an atmosphere of better relations with India for the next president,” she said. The third ministerial meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday should be seen in this context. It should also be seen in the context of the Indian-led ‘Malabar Naval Exercises’ in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean next month. Participating countries in these joint exercises include India, the United States, Australia, and Japan. The Quad Group is based in all four countries. Australia withdrew from naval exercises 12 years ago under pressure from China. India has openly challenged China this time by inviting Australia to be part of the exercise again.

Why a visit a week before the presidential election?

Some experts in the United States have questioned the timing of the visit, a week before the presidential election. But this is not a problem in India. A Foreign Ministry source said that the Indian government does not care much about who will come to power after the elections. A change of government will not change the situation in the region, which is why US priorities will not change. Despite ten years of negotiations between India and the United States and the change of two presidents, the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Understanding was signed in 2016. This is an indication that foreign policy is not always affected by changes in power. The Indian government knows that there is a consensus between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party on US policies towards India. Some in India believe that the victory of Democratic candidate Joe Biden could cause trouble on the Kashmir issue. On the other hand, there is an opinion that several presidents have raised the issue of Kashmir, but US relations with India have been growing. He believes that if Biden becomes president, it will be easier for India to deal with China because Biden is a proponent of a multifaceted approach and consensus. Trump, on the other hand, is willing to compete with China alone or with only a few countries.