| Sreemoy Talukdar brings you the essential cheat sheet on foreign affairs covering India and the world |  | | India was thrust into a diplomatic firefight with Islamic nations due to an avoidable controversy, and that is our kick-off point this week. We also cover defence minister Rajnath Singh's visit to Vietnam (pic above) where important pacts were signed, China's 'secret' naval base in Cambodia, Sri Lanka's need for aid and Boris Johnson's yet another miraculous escape. | | TOP FIVE NEWS UPDATES | | India lands in hot soup as Islamic nations take umbrage at BJP spokespersons' remarks on Prophet | | India landed in a hot soup with West Asian and other Islamic nations in the neighbourhood after two spokespersons of the ruling party, BJP, made derogatory references to Islam and the Prophet Mohammad, forcing New Delhi into an urgent diplomatic firefight. On Sunday, Qatar, Iran and Kuwait summoned India's Ambassadors and the expressed their strong protest and condemnation of the controversial remarks. On Monday, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, the Maldives, the UAE, Jordan, Bahrain, Oman and Afghanistan had also joined in. As Indian Express reports, "the BJP suspended its national spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled Delhi media head Naveen Kumar and amid protests by Muslim groups, the party also issued a statement aimed at assuaging the concerns of minorities and distancing itself from these members." BJP's general secretary Arun Singh in a statement said, "BJP strongly denounces insult of any religious personalities of any religion." Delhi Police later lodged an FIR against Sharma, Jindal, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and others. The Indian Embassy in Doha and Kuwait subsequently issued statements clarifying that the comments "did not reflect the views of the Government of India", and called those posting offensive tweets, as "fringe elements", reported The Hindu. The report adds that "an official dinner in honour of the visiting Indian Vice President Venkaiah Naidu to be held by the Deputy Emir of Qatar Abdullah bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani was also cancelled on Sunday evening", ostensibly due to Covid and not connected to Qatar's protest over the offensive comments. The Indian Embassy, meanwhile, issued a statement that: "In line with our civilisational heritage and strong cultural traditions of unity in diversity, Government of India accords the highest respect to all religions," read the statement, adding that "Strong action has already been taken against those who made the derogatory remarks." New Delhi, however, slammed the statement made by the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), calling it "motivated, misleading and mischievous". Meanwhile, Nupur Sharma, BJP's suspended spokesperson, received threats of murder and rape and was subsequently given police protection while Al Qaeda's Indian subcontinent unit (AQIS) threatened to carry out suicide attacks across India. Amid this cauldron, Iran's foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held talks with external affairs minister S Jaishankar in Delhi on his first official visit on Wednesday and met prime minister Narendra the day after. While Iran was among those nations that had summoned the Indian ambassador, Abdollahian said that "Iran is satisfied that the Indian government has dealt with those responsible for comments on Prophet Mohammad". The controversy reveals how India's domestic politics can affect its diplomatic relations. | | Eye on China, India, Vietnam sign pacts to boost defence ties and ensure military logistics support | | India and Vietnam on Wednesday signed a 'Joint Vision Statement' on India-Vietnam Defence Partnership towards 2030 and also inked an MoU on mutual logistics support, the first such major agreement that Vietnam has signed with any country, during defence minister Rajnath Singh's three-day visit to the country that started on Tuesday. In a statement, India's defence ministry said: "this is a major step towards simplifying procedures for mutually beneficial logistic support". Singh on Wednesday "held bilateral talks with Vietnam's minister of national defence general Phan Van Giang in Hanoi" and the "wide-ranging discussions on effective and practical initiatives" are expected to "further expand bilateral defence engagements." The 'Joint Vision Statement' will significantly enhance the scope and scale of existing defence cooperation, added the statement. News18 reports that India "may also gift a Khukri-class corvette — likely to be INS Kirpan- to Vietnam, which is currently in service with the Indian Navy, testifying the trust and bonhomie between the two countries. On Thursday, India handed over 12 high-speed guard boats to Vietnam at a ceremony at the Hong Ha Shipyard." The defence minister also announced gifting two simulators and monetary grant towards setting up of Language and IT Lab at Air Force Officers Training School for capacity building of Vietnamese Armed Forces. Among the 12 high-speed boats, five were built in India, and the rest in a Vietnamese shipyard under India's $100 million Defence Line of Credit", reports Indian Express. The report quotes Singh, as saying, that the successful completion of the project, despite the challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic, "is a testimonial to the commitment and professional excellence of the Indian defence manufacturing sector as also of Hong Ha Shipyard." The minister expressed confidence that it will be a "precursor to many more cooperative defence projects between India and Vietnam in future." | | US alarmed over China's building of 'secret' naval base in Cambodia; Beijing, Phnom Penh deny move | | Quoting "western officials," Washington Post reports that "China is secretly building a naval facility in Cambodia for the exclusive use of its military, with both countries denying that is the case and taking extraordinary measures to conceal the operation. The military presence will be on the northern portion of Cambodia's Ream Naval Base on the Gulf of Thailand, which is slated to be the site of a groundbreaking ceremony this week, according to the officials, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter's sensitivity." Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese described the report as "concerning". He said, "We are in regular contact with the Cambodian government and we have been consistently assured that no foreign military will be granted exclusive access." Wall Street Journal says the facility "would serve as Beijing's second overseas naval outpost after the PLA started operating a 'support base' in the east African nation of Djibouti in 2017… Beijing is seeking to establish more military and dual-use facilities around the world. China's activities at the Cambodian base have troubled the United States for many years, but Washington has little leverage over Cambodia." The US has also slammed the secrecy around the project, the groundbreaking of which took place on Wednesday. A senior US official told Reuters that the "lack of transparency has been extraordinary...(it is) in direct contravention of months and months of denial by them that there was any PRC involvement…" The official added that the two countries had taken steps which were "bordering on the absurd" to hide Chinese military activity, including "disguising Chinese personnel during visits by foreign officials to the base." China and Cambodia have both denied that any Chinese military presence will be allowed at the naval base, with "the Cambodian embassy in Washington stated that it 'strongly disagrees' with the Washington Post report's "baseless accusation motivated to negatively frame Cambodia's image." It added that Cambodia "firmly adheres" to its constitution, which does not permit a foreign military presence on Cambodian soil," reports SupChina. China said the project was merely a "renovation" and accused the US of "smear tactics". | | Sri Lanka needs $6 billion to fight crisis, says PM Ranil as he praises India's role in Parliament | | To tide over its worst economic crisis since the last seven decades, Sri Lanka will need a massive infusion of funds and renegotiation of credit swap with China, prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has told the Sri Lankan parliament. According to the Hindu, while addressing the House, Wickremesinghe said the "country must 'somehow' find $3.3 billion for fuel, $250 million for gas, $900 million for food items for six months, and $600 million for fertilizer for a year. In this context, we need $5 billion to ensure our daily lives are not disrupted for the next six months. We need to strengthen the rupee in line with the daily requirements of the citizens. Another $1 billion is needed to strengthen the rupee. That means we need to find $6 billion to keep the country afloat for the next six months." Sri Lanka's central bank has estimated the economy will contract by 3.5% in 2022, Reuters quoted Wickremesinghe as saying, but the prime minister added that "he was confident growth could return with a strong reform package, debt restructuring and international support." The Indian Ocean nation of 22 million is negotiating a loan package worth about $3 billion from the International Monetary Fund, in addition to help from countries such as China, India and Japan. On Tuesday, the cabinet approved a $55-million credit line from India's Exim Bank to fund 150,000 tonnes of urea imports — a critical requirement as supplies have run out during the current cropping season, adds the Reuters report. In his Wednesday's address, Wickremesinghe also said that no country except India is providing fuel to the crisis-hit nation, reports Times of India. India's aid to Sri Lanka has been noted by China as well, with Beijing on Wednesday praising India's role and adding that "we also are willing to work with India and other members of the international community to help Sri Lanka and other countries with difficulties to help these developing countries to get through this situation." | | Boris Johnson survives as British PM after quelling party rebellion but his troubles may not be over | | British prime minister Boris Johnson has quelled a rebellion from his own Conservative party MPs. He saw through a no-confidence motion and saved his job by the skin of his teeth, but the development leaves him greatly weakened, his authority diminished and he may yet resign before next election. As The Times, London, observes, Boris "saw off an attempt to remove him from office by 63 votes after 148 MPs defied his warnings that voting against him would gift Labour the next election. The vote exposed deep rifts within the Conservative Party that will pose a continuing threat to Johnson's authority… The margin of his victory is less than that granted to Theresa May in January 2019. She was ousted within seven months of her confidence vote. Johnson was opposed by the same proportion of his MPs as Margaret Thatcher in 1990. She resigned two days later after her cabinet turned on her." But for now, Johnson, known for his miraculous political survival skills is putting up a brave face. "Johnson declared his victory decisive, and showed no flicker of self-reflection or contrition. 'We have a conclusion to something that's been dragging on for far too long,' he said afterwards. In truth, the scale of insurrection has surprised Johnson's circle. Far from moving on, the result is paralysing. It leaves the prime minister badly wounded, with rivals jockeying to replace him, and a party at risk of civil war over its ideological direction," says The Economist, which adds "Johnson's personal ratings have collapsed: his net approval rating stands at net -42. Among Tory party members, Johnson is now the least popular member of the cabinet, according to a survey of the rank and file by Conservative Home." The British PM, however, told "Britons on Thursday he was 'on your side', vowing to build a high-growth, low-tax economy where everyone could buy their own home, in his latest attempt at a reset after surviving a major revolt against his leadership", reports Reuters. | | | | | | | | | | TOP ANALYSES OF THE WEEK | | India-Vietnam ties will get greater traction ahead | | Given that the China threat looms large for both Vietnam and India, the bilateral relationship between New Delhi and Hanoi is likely to gain even greater traction, argues Rajeswari (Raji) Pillai Rajagopalan of ORF in The Diplomat. | | China-EU ties locked in spiralling deterioration | | On China-EU relations that have come under duress due to the Ukraine war and both sides' divergent stances, Sun Chenghao, fellow, center for international security and strategy at Tsinghua University, writes in a piece for Russian think tank Valdai Club that "the compartmentalisation trend of China-EU relations carries a lot of risks, and the ultimate one would be unlike in the past (like in 2008). Bilateral relations have lost the ability to bounce back after setbacks and will be locked in spiralling deterioration." | | ASEAN helps to counteract China's influence | | Ahead of the Shangri La Dialogue, the key security summit of Indo-Pacific that gets under way on Friday, Aaron Connelly of IISS writes that while "ASEAN is sometimes treated dismissively, this overlooks its key functional role at the centre of regional security diplomacy and its ability to advance the priorities of member states internationally." | | US now wants to enforce trade rules more than facilitating trade | | Hanh Nguyen, research fellow at Pacific Forum, writes in The Diplomat that debates around the recently launched Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), an innovative trade framework promoted by the US, "often ignore an important shift in US trade policy in the last decade: The United States is now more enthusiastic about enforcing trade rules rather than facilitating trade." | | What joining of IPEF tells us about India's trade rethink | | In light of India's signing up to IPEF, the US-promoted Indo-Pacific trade framework, James Crabtree of IISS writes in Nikkei Asia that Narendra Modi's "trade rethink reflects two bigger shifts in India's worldview. First, New Delhi is evermore worried about Chinese regional economic dominance. Second, and as a result, Modi is willing to pursue new forms of economic integration, so long as it is with nations like the US, with whom India shares a close geopolitical outlook." | | Snubbing Myanmar will be a big mistake for India | | Brahma Chellaney, geostrategist and author, writes in Nikkei Asia that giving Myanmar the cold shoulder as hosts of upcoming ASEAN foreign ministers' meet will not serve India's long-term interests. He writes, "Myanmar has historically been a peaceful neighbor for India, never posing a threat to its security. But the Modi government's snub could jeopardize Indian projects in Myanmar and counterinsurgency cooperation." | | US-India digital partnership must overcome trust deficit | | Anand Raghuraman and Justin Sherman of Atlantic Council write in Foreign Policy that "the US-India digital relationship may never yield complete alignment, but officials must prioritize overcoming these disagreements. A breakthrough could serve as a model for the United States to work with other countries in Asia that share India's concerns about US technology but also seek foreign investment." | | Xi's march to third term as president won't be a cakewalk | | Jayadeva Ranade of Centre for China Analysis and Strategy writes in The Tribune that discontent in CCP is threatening to derail Xi Jinping's march to an unprecedented third term as Chinese president. He writes, "two directives issued recently confirm that the discontent among party members and cadres is causing serious anxiety in the CCP's top echelons." | | Taliban are taking aim at Buddhist heritage again | | Lynne O'Donnell writes in Foreign Policy that "immediately after storming to power in Afghanistan last August, the Taliban renewed their assault on the country's rich pre-Islamic heritage by looting archeological treasures in Bamiyan province… They zeroed in on the site of the giant Buddhas that, in the Taliban's first incarnation two decades ago, became an international symbol of the group's depravity as it declared the 1,400-year-old statues "idolatrous" before proceeding to dynamite them." | | Boris Johnson should aim for an honorable exit | | Former Tory MP William Hague writes in The Times, London, that "while Johnson has survived the night, the damage done to his premiership is severe…Deep inside, he should recognise that, and turn his mind to getting out in a way that spares party and country such agonies and uncertainties." | | PODCAST WATCH | | India's role in Indo-Pacific security architecture | | US Army's Pacific Commanding General Charles A Flynn was on a visit to India to boost military cooperation. During an ORF roundtable, the US general held forth on whether power over land plays a significant role in defining military might in the Indo-Pacific — an area largely defined by the sea and oceanic security, and India's place in Indo-Pacific security architecture. | | | | Copyright © 2022.Firstpost - All Rights Reserved. | |
