Chinese expert cautions India against becoming US pawn

"I hope India would continue to follow an independent foreign policy and not become a pawn in the sophisticated US strategic calculations to contain China," Professor Ma Jiali, Senior Research Fellow with the Chinese Institute for Contemporary International Relations told PTI.

He noted that since 2001, the US has often stated that it would shift its strategic pivot to the Asia-Pacific region, and considered China as its main rival and threat. Since the second term of presidency, George W Bush's intent of making use of India to contain China has become "more obvious", Ma said, noting that from the angle of the United States, to promote the relations with India can fully serve its global strategy, the Asian strategy and South Asia policy.

"Obviously, the unusual enthusiasm shown by the US for promoting the relations with India can reflect that the US has its own strategic calculations. And making use of India to constrain China is one of them," Ma said.

Although Sino-Indian relations have obviously improved in recent years, New Delhi still has some misgivings about Beijing due to lack of mutual political trust and the estrangement left from history, Ma said. He said a number of Chinese scholars believe that the US is determined to undermine progress in Sino-Indian relations, adding that Washington is using all means at its disposal to influence India's foreign policy.

For example, some scholars note that US Congressional debates over US-India civilian nuclear deal have highlighted American attempts to link cooperation in the nuclear field to New Delhi's position on the Iranian nuclear deal.

Chinese scholars also believe that US interference in Central Asia has negative implications for regional stability and for China. Beijing is concerned about Washington's attempts to deepen its influence in Central Asia, one expert said.

He cited the US-backed regime changes or "colour revolutions" in former Soviet Republics like Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan as events that could have an impact on China's security calculations.

Chinese scholars believe that Beijing should not be overly concerned about the possible dependence of Indian foreign policy by toeing the US line of thinking in the long run, especially since India's current multi-party political system will not allow the government to be subservient to Uncle Sam's diktat.

They hope India, which has always had the ambition to be a 'big power' will demonstrate its independent foreign policy and safeguard its own national interest by forging better relations with countries like China, Russia, Iran and energy-rich Central Asian states. They also hoped that India would work more closely within the trilateral mechanism with China and Russia to ensure regional and global peace, security and development.

Moreover, New Delhi could step up cooperation with the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in which the country is already has an observer status. Apart from trying to cooperate with Pakistan within the SCO, India could use the SCO platform to enhance cooperation on key issues like energy security, counter- terrorism, drug trafficking and trans-border crimes, he said.