‘SUPPORTIVE DIPLOMACY’ OF INDIA: A BOON FOR TROUBLED NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES

John Adams (Former President of USA) had said- “There are two ways to conquer and enslave a country: One is by the sword; the other is by debt.” China, choosing the second path, has embraced colonial-era practices and rapidly emerged as the world’s biggest official creditor. In the last decade, China has badly trapped the poor and developing countries of the world. By choosing the second path, China has adopted the practices of the colonial era and in the last decade has badly trapped in its debttrap by giving huge loans to the poor and developing countries of the world. China’s debt-trap policy has affected India’s neighbouring countries the most. Stuck in the vicious cycle of Chinese debt, the economies of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal and Maldives have reached the brink of destruction. Sri Lanka and Pakistan are going through the worst economic and food crisis ever. In Sri Lanka last year, the people had uprooted the government by adopting the internal rebellion. The country is still on the verge of bankruptcy. According to a recent statement by Finance Minister Ali Sabri in the Parliament the usable FOREX are just $50 million. Similarly Pakistan’s FOREX are also only $ 4.5 billion, which can pay only three weeks of import bills. China has flatly refused to re-structure its loans to provide further financial assistance to these countries facing severe economic and food crisis. In such unprecedented crisis India has written a new chapter of deepening relations by support and huge financial assistance to Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives.

Significantly, in the past years with the help of its conspiratorial economic policies, China has been successful in creating an unexpectedly anti-India aura in neighbouring countries. Nepal, which is considered to be an integral friend of India but in the KP Oli regime the baseless issue of border dispute raised and the long –term ‘ROTI-BETI’ relationship were badly affected. The then President of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, preferred China by forgetting India and pushed the country into severe economic- food crisis. Similarly, former President of Maldives, Abdulla Yameen, openly opposed and launched the ‘INDIA OUT CAMPAIGN’. But the current scenario has changed the attitude of the people and rulers of these neighbouring countries. China has left these countries in the lurch in the midst of a difficult period of severe crisis. In such a situation, India has given financial assistance and support to these countries by moving on its unique ‘SUPPORTIVE DIPLOMACY’. External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar recently introduced India’s ‘NEIGHBOURHOOD FIRST POLICY’ to both the countries on his Maldives and Sri Lanka visit. During Sri Lanka visit by announced $ 2.4 billion help and make a renewable energy hub in Trincomalee. Along with this a proposal to provide oil credit of 500 million dollars. India provided more than $4 billion in aid by way of loans, grants, loans and extension of old debt last year.

Similarly with Maldives, India recently signed bilateral agreements in the ScienceTechnology as well as housing projects and assured more investment in the Greater Male project. Such initiative of India, an unprecedented confidence and relationship has been built. Maldives has made a announcement of supporting India for a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council in 2027. Similarly Sri Lanka has recently announced to implement the 1987 Indo-Lanka agreement (The Constitutional Amendment 13A) soon. Undoubtedly this is a huge diplomatic success of India. To counter India’s growing influence in neighboring countries, China has also given financial assurance to Sri Lanka not only to continue the $2.9 billion bailout package given by the IMF and started sending high level delegations to provide economic assistance. So influence can be restored. Notably that the general elections are also to be held in these countries this year, in such a situation, India tried its best that major political parties and people in favour, those who had started speaking Chinese language under the influence of China in the past. It is the result of India’s cooperativediplomacy that there has been such a big change in China’s attitude and has taken steps for financial assistance, keeping a soft attitude towards the debtor countries, otherwise in the critical phase of the crisis last year, Sri Lanka had to pay $ 6.8 million under the pressure of the Chinese government in lieu of the cancelled deal of the Chinese firm Qingdao Shirin Biotech. While, India had helped Sri Lanka in a big way during that crisis. Anyway, India’s Supportive - Diplomacy has been of double benefit to these neighbouring countries. On the other hand, these countries bound in the Chinese love-loop, even under compulsion, have made a radical change in their attitude towards India, which will write a new chapter in the changing geo-political scenario. It should be hoped that Pakistan, which is on the verge of bankruptcy after taking lessons from neighboring countries, will soon understand the reality of China and abandoning its policy of violence and terror towards India.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

DR. SURESH YADAV The writer is Freelancer and Commentator on International Affairs