India moots trilateral talks with China, Russia
Anirban Bhaumik, New Delhi, Dec 27, 2016, DHNS:
As uncertainty looms over the US policy in Asia-Pacific in the forthcoming Trump administration, India recently opened up trilateral talks with China and Russia to consolidate the regional position.
Earlier this month, New Delhi despatched a senior diplomat to Beijing to talk to the Chinese and Russian representatives. The move is said to create space for policy manoeuvring, enabling a response to any modification in the US policy in Asia after the change of regime in Washington.
India’s move comes two years after US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi met here and issued a “Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean”, a document that signalled the growing strategic convergence between the US and India in the region and raised hackles in China.
Sources told DH that Jaideep Mazumdar, Joint Secretary (South) at the Ministry of External Affairs headquarters in New Delhi, had met senior Chinese and Russian diplomats in Beijing for a three-nation engagement on Asia-Pacific.
The three men had in-depth exchange of views on the regional situation, foreign policy towards Asia, regional security architecture, coordination within regional and multilateral fora, anti-terrorism and other acute, topical regional issues.
They also discussed possible changes of the US policy in Asia-Pacific during the Trump era in White House and their implications for their bilateral ties with the US and for the region at large, sources said.
The diplomats agreed to continue the engagement and hold the next trilateral talks on Asia-Pacific in 2017.
New Delhi’s growing ties with the US and its allies in Asia-Pacific over the past few years caused unease in Beijing, which perceived it as a strategic move to contain its influence.
India’s “Act East” policy appeared to be in sync with “US’ pivot to Asia”, a major policy initiative of the Obama administration for strategic rebalance of America’s diplomatic and military resources to Asia.
Earlier this month, New Delhi despatched a senior diplomat to Beijing to talk to the Chinese and Russian representatives. The move is said to create space for policy manoeuvring, enabling a response to any modification in the US policy in Asia after the change of regime in Washington.
India’s move comes two years after US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi met here and issued a “Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean”, a document that signalled the growing strategic convergence between the US and India in the region and raised hackles in China.
Sources told DH that Jaideep Mazumdar, Joint Secretary (South) at the Ministry of External Affairs headquarters in New Delhi, had met senior Chinese and Russian diplomats in Beijing for a three-nation engagement on Asia-Pacific.
The three men had in-depth exchange of views on the regional situation, foreign policy towards Asia, regional security architecture, coordination within regional and multilateral fora, anti-terrorism and other acute, topical regional issues.
They also discussed possible changes of the US policy in Asia-Pacific during the Trump era in White House and their implications for their bilateral ties with the US and for the region at large, sources said.
The diplomats agreed to continue the engagement and hold the next trilateral talks on Asia-Pacific in 2017.
New Delhi’s growing ties with the US and its allies in Asia-Pacific over the past few years caused unease in Beijing, which perceived it as a strategic move to contain its influence.
India’s “Act East” policy appeared to be in sync with “US’ pivot to Asia”, a major policy initiative of the Obama administration for strategic rebalance of America’s diplomatic and military resources to Asia.
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