Time to reinvent India-Vietnam defence ties
The unabated rise of china and its uncontrolled muscle flexing around its periphery is disliked by many of its neighbors. India and Vietnam are the two countries that shares borders with China also share the frustration created by it at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and in South China Sea. The unscrupulous behaviour of China has contributed immensely to promote defence cooperation between the two Asian nations, which has in recent decade elevated to ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’. The areas of cooperation stretches from the economic partnership, energy, maritime security, defence cooperation, training and development of army software parks. Simultaneously, the defence cooperation between the two nations is crucial to check the Chinese intimidation.
India-Vietnam comprehensive strategic partnership, though guided by insecurity spewed by China, is in line with India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans initiative, launched by Indian PM at the East Asia Summit in Thailand in 2019 which provided the surface for cooperation with East and Southeast Asian countries. China’s assertiveness in the South China sea and its claim to nationalize the 80 percent of maritime space of South China Sea involves dispute with almost all the littorals. To demonstrate strength and audacity, Chinese vessels keep floating in other countries Exclusive Economic Zones threatening exploration activities and fishing ships of other claimants. China’s disregard of International Law and its high pitch of aggression purports its desire to treat most of the South China Sea as sovereign waters, should any vessels of different nationality traverse the South China Sea(SCS), invoke the violation of its special rights on the maritime estate. However, the India envisioned a ‘Free and open’ Indo pacific, it does not overtly show discontent over China’s stance, invite staunch criticism from the security and international affairs analysts, but on the hindsight India sends a task force of four navy ships in South China Sea.
The recent Indian moves in the South China Sea is not a mere demonstration of capabilities but the compliance warranted by the fact that nearly 60 percent of trade that India does from Sea route passes through South China Sea. Among all the things one need to understand that Indian Navy now lacks capacity to influence South China Sea by any means as China is the preponderate force in the South China Sea boasting on the highly modernized Navy with home advantages. Notwithstanding India’s weaknesses, India could enhance the defense partnership with Southeast Asian nations to strengthen their capability to check China’s further encroachment in their EEZ. Vietnam appropriately caters to the needs of India in the South China Sea and similarly in wider Indo-pacific, Vietnam and India have enjoyed a positive relationship over the years since colonial times simultaneously Vietnam shared the concern with India over China’s growing weight that dismantles the balance of power in the region. After the intense naval standoff with China over in 2019 at Vanguard Bank, where Chinese vessels conducted an illegal survey within Vietnam EEZ, disillusioned Vietnam’s balanced walk on the tight rope between USA and China.
India consistently seeks to counter China’s influence without antagonizing the regional actors and the preference given to Vietnam is itself strategic move. In the virtual summit between the Prime Ministers of the states occurred in December last year, both the leaders reiterated their commitment of ‘comprehensive strategic cooperation’ and summarized the range of issues both countries seek to work together as well as an ‘Implementation of Agreement on Defense Industry Cooperation’. The most strategic avenues of cooperation are energy and defence.In the recent decade defence ties have started to gain traction, an Indian military presence in the South China could augment Vietnam’s defensive capability while also cutting defense expenditure similarly constraining China’s risky expansionism to the rest.
In a bid to strengthen the defence ties, India opened a $100 million line of credit for Vietnam to purchase the 12 high speed patrol boats. In addition, another line of credit of $500 million for buying defense equipment from India. The situation is perfectly grim for the furtherance of Indo-Vietnam defence ties to secure the ‘peace, stability and freedom of navigation’ from China’s mouth, but despite all the convergence of interest India-Vietnam did little to materialize the ‘strategic partnership’ goal. India still maintains ambiguity and not agreed to sell ‘Bramhos cruise missile’ to Vietnam due to the stalemate supplied by Russia and New Delhi’s hesitancy is evident in selling Vietnam defense equipment. According to media reports, Hanoi is interested in buying the Akash surface-to-air systems and Dhruv advanced light helicopters, the deal which is yet to be finalized.
In the view of the challenges faced by both the states in the Indo-Pacific, the defence relation does not limit to bilaterals, but the security concern elevated to multilateral institutions, India and Vietnam decided to work in close coordination at U.N. Security Council, where both the India and Vietnam were elected to be non-permanent members in 2020/2021. ASEAN is the other platform to continue the momentum of strategic talks, on the other hand, India hosted the Delhi Dialogue-XI with ASEAN countries under the theme “Advancing Partnership in the Indo-Pacific.” Quad is another aspect where both the nations could do their part; India is the member of the Quad, a grouping to ensure freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific, which converges with Vietnam’s security challenges.
Though convergent interests, India-Vietnam ties still feel the shadow of china. India needs to be more vocal about China’s bungling in the South China Sea and to ensure the continuity of freedom of navigation. New Delhi engagement in the contested sea, with military and diplomatic support to Vietnam could prove to be instrumental in accentuating the vital role that India wants to play in the Southeast Asia.
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Pic Courtesy- Indian Embassy in Hanoi
(The views expressed are those of the author and do not represent views of CESCUBE.)
