Tempo para a Índia-China Nuclear-falar
It+is+significant+that+the+first+international+call+that+Narendra+Modi+received+soon+after+taking+oath+as+Prime+Minister+was+from+Premier+Li+Keqiang+of+China.+This+has+been+quickly+followed+up+with+the+visit+of+the+Chinese+Foreign+Minister%2C+Wang+Yi%2C+within+weeks+of+the+new+government+assuming+charge+in+New+Delhi.+While+there+is+no+denying+that+such+visits+are+planned+well+ahead+and+would+have+taken+place+irrespective+of+the+government+in+power%2C+the+tone+and+tenor+of+the+meeting+has+been+distinct.+The+nuclear+issue+did+not+come+up+for+discussion%2C+but+the+implications+of+how+India-China+relations+develop+under+the+new+Indian+government+will+be+felt+in+the+nuclear+domain+too.+The+installation+of+every+new+government+provides+an+opportunity+for+a+productive+new+beginning+in+inter-State+relations.+Of+course%2C+India+has+since+independence+largely+followed+a+broadly+pre-set+foreign+policy+that+has+never+seen+major+swings+or+deviations.+Changes+have+largely+been+confined+to+shifts+in+focus+and+priorities.+But%2C+as+Mr+Wang+Yi+said+during+his+visit+to+India%2C+China+wanted+to+%22cement+our+existing+friendship+and+explore+further+cooperation.%22+The+exploration+of+this+further+cooperation+must+include+the+nuclear+dimension+too.+Until+now+China+has+been+closed+to+this+idea+on+the+ground+that+India+is+an+illegitimate+nuclear+weapons+power.+However%2C+over+the+last+sixteen+years%2C+now+that+India+has+consolidated+and+operationalised+its+nuclear+strategy%2C+its+%27legal%27+status+is+really+a+non-issue.+Slowly%2C+India+will+have+to+%27chip+away%27+at+traditional+Chinese+objections+on+this+front+and+convince+it+of+the+benefits+of+starting+a+nuclear+dialogue+that+can+gradually+explore+the+possibilities+of+nuclear+confidence-building+measures+and+even+arms+control+at+a+later+date.+Of+course%2C+India+would+first+have+to+convince+itself+of+the+need+for+these.+As+a+State+under+denial+from+Western-crafted+arms+control+regimes%2C+India+is+itself+wary+of+this+concept.+However%2C+it+would+be+foolish+to+eschew+the+possibility+of+India+being+in+the+driver%27s+seat+on+nuclear+CBMs+and+arms+control.+These+are+effective+tools+that+are+used+by+nuclear-armed+countries+to+stabilise+their+deterrent+relations+and+avoid+situations+of+crisis+and+arms+race+instability.+India+should+find+ways+of+doing+the+same.+Prime+Minister+Modi+made+a+statement+in+a+completely+different+context+when+he+said%2C+%22If+India+has+to+compete+with+China%2C+the+focus+should+be+on+skill%2C+scale+and+speed.%22+The+same+could+be+equally+applied+to+the+nuclear+context+too.+We+need+to+skilfully+find+areas+of+nuclear+CBMs+and+arms+control+%28a+joint+no-first+use+agreement%2C+an+anti-ballistic+missile+treaty%2C+control+over+multiple+independently+retargetable+vehicles+could+be+some+ideas+worthy+of+being+explored%29+and+do+it+with+speed.+It+would+be+in+India%27s+interest+to+find+ways+of+avoiding+being+sucked+into+an+offence-defence+nuclear+arms+race.+It+has+been+evident+for+a+while+that+a+relatively+well-armed+and+economically+powerful+China+is+in+an+increasingly+assertive+mood+and+is+looking+to+play+a+larger+role+in+Asia.+India+is+well+conscious+of+this.+However%2C+it+is+essential+that+India+shows+assertion+of+its+own+on+issues+that+are+of+supreme+national+interest.+Unfortunately%2C+the+previous+government%2C+despite+the+many+good+tasks+that+it+undertook+in+strengthening+India%27s+nuclear+capability+and+position%2C+suffered+from+the+perception+of+being+low+in+resolve.+Modi%27s+personality+type+is+different+and+it+reflects+positively+on+the+aspect+of+political+resolve%2C+at+least+in+case+of+India%27s+foreign+policy.+China+respects+this+and+it+is+not+surprising+that+the+Chinese+Foreign+Minister+praised+Prime+Minister+Modi+for+showing+the+world+%E2%80%9Cresolve+and+courage%E2%80%9D+by+setting+an+agenda+to+push+reforms+and+development+and+for+injecting+%E2%80%9Cvigour+and+vitality%E2%80%9D+immediately+after+taking+charge.+India+has+many+issues+that+can+serve+as+useful+leverages+in+its+relations+with+China.+The+consistent+upswing+in+bilateral+trade%2C+totalling+close+to+US%2470+billion%2C+is+a+positive+development+even+though+New+Delhi+has+to+work+towards+reducing+its+trade+deficit+with+China.+Terrorist+incidents+in+China+have+exposed+the+dangers+of+extremist+radicalism+that+continue+to+brew+in+the+country+that+Beijing+claims+as+its+close+friend.+It+would+be+na%C3%AFve+to+believe+that+China+will+let+go+of+its+special+friendship+with+Pakistan%2C+given+that+both+perceive+this+relationship+as+useful+to+keep+India+unsettled.+But%2C+it+would+still+be+in+India%27s+interest+to+try+and+expose+the+nuclear+dangers+for+all+if+Pakistan+continues+down+the+path+of+sponsoring+and+supporting+terrorism+and+China+continues+to+shield+its+misbehaviour.+China+must+be+%27made+to+understand%27+that+it+cannot+escape+from+existential+nuclear+dangers+such+as+an+unauthorised+or+mistaken+nuclear+launch+or+one+caused+by+miscalculation.+Wang+Yi+was+consistent+in+reminding+India+to+follow+a+%22one-China%22+policy.+Sushma+Swaraj+nattily+retorted+with+the+need+for+China+to+respect+a+%22one-India%22+policy.+Both%2C+however%2C+must+equally+recognise+the+fact+that+nuclear+dangers+bring+another+kind+of+one-ness+to+the+neighbourhood+that+we+would+all+ignore+at+our+own+peril.+It+behoves+the+two+largest+nuclear+armed+countries+of+Asia+to+join+hands+in+reducing+nuclear+dangers+to+the+extent+they+can.+The+new+government+must+seize+the+opportunity+to+initiate+nuclear-speak+with+China.
Link website :http://ipcs.org/
TAGS :
nuclear-speak with China
,
Nuclear Weapons
,
Narendra Modi
,
Prime Minister
,
Premier Li Keqiang
,
Chinese Foreign Minister
,
Wang Yi
,
State
,
Mr Wang Yi
,
China
,
Chinese
,
Minister Modi
,
Chinese Foreign Minister
,
Prime Minister Modi
,
New Delhi
,
Pakistan
,
China
,
Swaraj
