The main visit is undoubtedly China where the Prime Minister was warmly received. The 3 day visit turned out to be smooth and colourful and geopolitically revealing.
1. Modi declared that China was India's most strategic partner in the world. In making this declaration, he wisely confirmed that India had more important things than just be an irritant in the game of China containment that is regionally promoted by America and Japan supported by Australia. And wherein Indian support is crucially sought.
2. Modi declared E- Visa for Chinese tourists. In this Modi is genuine in his belief that tourism is a very productive industry. I recall that he had advised both Bhutan and Nepal to develop tourism. Though I am sure he did not mean Chinese tourists. However Modi is smart to realise the economic impact of thousands of well heeled Chinese tourists to Indian economy and therefore the decision to provide visa at a tap of a finger. This will have positive growth in Chinese tourists visit to both Nepal and Bhutan. I hope the Bhutanese Government will adopt similar procedures.
3. A total of 22 billion American Dollar agreements were signed between Indian and Chinese Corporation under the , "Make in India " gambit. Similar investment deals were executed last year during President of China visit to India. Investment deals take gestation period to mature but certainly Sino- Indo economic cooperation will blossom in future.
The Mongolia Visit of 2 days.
Mongolia has huge natural resources and it is a huge land mass. Indian media seems to think the visit was more of a strategic importance than economic including uranium supply from Mongolia. In fact an agreement on border and cyber security was said to have been signed. I do not quite understand what border was all about though cyber security is the in thing in this age where information technology run the world. Prime Minister Modi offered an aid to the
tune of one billion American dollar to Mongolia. That cannot make strategic difference for Mongolia. Far more was pumped into Afghanistan and today Indians are targeted to quit Afghanistan. And even more was offered by Modi Government to Nepal who declined fearing political ugliness.
Strategic politics for Mongolia by India will have as much impact as Australian having strategic design towards Bhutan. No impact at all in regional power equation but friendly relation and economic aid package will develop bilateral good wills. Mongolia is land locked in between Russia and China and Bhutan is landlocked by China and India. So no third country can really exercise strategic impact on the 2 land locked countries except by their immediate neighbours.
The South Korean visit could be mainly make in India push plus simple goodwill. India cannot back South Korea against Japan or China. And no other nation can come between South Korean and American relation. But visiting South Korea balances Modi visit to Japan last year. The two American staunch allies do not quite like each other. In fact the Japanese defence built up may be more threatening to the Korean Peninsula than Chinese interests in Sino Japan disputed islands.
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