Impact of Recent International Developments on India's Foreign Policy

 

After a year of battling with Covid-19 and Chinese aggression, India entered 2021 with the challenge of strengthening ties and building new ones with the United States, Russia, EU, Middle East countries, and its neighbours. It is time for India to emerge as an aspirational global player. India is aggressively working towards establishing itself as a leader in industrialisation, science and technological development.

Here are three very recent international developments with regard to India and their impact on India’s foreign policy:

INDIA-RUSSIA

A week ago, it was the first visit abroad of Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla to Russia reaffirms the importance that India attaches to the special and privileged strategic partnership with Moscow. During the visit, the Foreign Secretary handed over a letter of invitation to the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov from EAM to visit India at a mutually convenient date.

The visit helped to strengthen the close, strategic, special and privileged partnership between India and Russia, and it has also set the tone for high-level exchanges this year. Russia expressed keen interest in investment in India under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative as well as to look for cooperation in new and emerging high technologies, defence, under waterways, railways, steel, etc. Both nations also agreed on the need to realize the full potential of bilateral trade and for an early conclusion of the FATA and the bilateral investment treaty.

Russia remained India’s most trusted friend all throughout. Despite the break-up of Soviet Union, the bilateral friendship remained very strong and the divergence of views on certain issues did not impact Indo-Russian deep ties. The key drivers of the cordial partnership include long-term convergence of interests, sensitivity to each other’s core concerns, mutual respect and trust. Both sides have sustained the momentum of their friendship, even during the difficult pandemic time via telephonic conversations between PM Modi and President Putin, last year.

 

INDIA-US

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joseph R Biden expressed commitment to a rules-based international order and looked forward to consolidating strategic partnership to further peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. The India-US partnership is firmly anchored in a shared commitment to democratic values and common strategic interests. They reiterated the importance of working with like-minded countries and also affirmed the importance of addressing the challenge of global climate change.

 

INDIA-CHINA

India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi recently agreed to establish a hotline, as both sides stressed the importance of timely communication in the wake of last year’s border crisis.

India has made clear to China that it is not realistic to insulate the relationship from the boundary crisis, and emphasised that in its view, peace on the border is necessary for the rest of the relationship to develop. China has hit out at India’s economic measures, such as banning Chinese apps and stricter curbs on investment, in the wake of last year’s tensions. Mr. Wang noted that the two countries need to properly handle the border issue, so as to prevent the bilateral ties from trapping into a vicious cycle because of it.