Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal
Hiển thị các bài đăng có nhãn India-US Relations. Hiển thị tất cả bài đăng
Hiển thị các bài đăng có nhãn India-US Relations. Hiển thị tất cả bài đăng

Thứ Sáu, 4 tháng 3, 2011

Ấn Độ đang nổi lên nhưng Mỹ vẫn thích châu Âu hơn

'India rising, but US prefers Europe'

Press Trust Of India
Washington, March 05, 2011

India, China and Brazil are rising world powers but US relies on European nations for resolving key global issues like Iran and Libya, a top Obama Administration official said. "Obviously, the United States is a major power, China is an increasing power, (so is)India..., but when we in Washington look around the world and ask ourselves, who is our potential partner on issue X or Y, first on the list tends to be Europe," Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip H Gordon said during a media roundtable in Sofia, Bulgaria.

India, China and Brazil are rising powers, but "they are not the ones that we are turning to help us deal with this (Libya) major global challenge, so that needs to be put in perspective," he was quoted as saying in a transcript released by the State Department on Friday.

"Take the cases I mentioned -- Iran -- the Europeans are our partners in trying to deal with the diplomacy of the Iranian nuclear issue; certainly in North Africa, Middle East in the last few weeks.

"Now, of course we are in touch with India and China on the Libya issue, but we are really working this together with the Europeans," he said.

Gordon accepted that India and China are emerging powers and Europe is now divided, but still when US needs to deal with global challenges "it's the democratic, prosperous, militarily capable members of the European Union we are working with first and foremost,and those are the countries with whom we share values and interests."

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-rising-but-US-prefers-Europe/H1-Article1-669642.aspx

Chủ Nhật, 27 tháng 2, 2011

Mỹ lên kế hoạch tăng cường quan hệ quân sự và kinh tế với Ấn Độ

U.S. plans to boost defence, economic ties with India

IANS
Washington, February 26, 2011

The U.S. plans to boost its ties with India in two key areas of defence and economic partnership as a follow up to President Barack Obama’s November visit to India, according to a senior administration official.

The United States plans to capitalise on the opportunities offered by the “notable results of the President’s trip” in the weeks and months to come, Geoffrey Pyatt, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South Asia said on Friday at the Emerging India Summit at Emory University in Atlanta.

“The challenge now before us is to define an agenda for both governments that capitalises on what we have achieved and meets the ambitious vision agreed by” Mr. Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he said speaking on “The Regional and Global Impact of the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership”.

Describing defence cooperation as “a critical cornerstone of the bilateral relationship” Mr. Pyatt said, with India expected to spend nearly $45 billion on military modernisation over the next five years, the U.S. welcomed opportunities to offer India superior technology and further deepen their defence cooperation.

He noted two American aircraft, the F/A 18 Super Hornet and F-16IN Viper, are among the contenders in the competition to provide Indian Air Force 126 frontline Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft, or MMRCA.

“The U.S. proposals will dramatically enhance India’s own aerospace industrial base and defence capabilities and demonstrate our commitment to share with India cutting edge technologies - including the only operationally-mature AESA radar,” Mr. Pyatt suggested.

The U.S. was also actively working to elevate its government-to-government economic partnership with India to be commensurate with their robust global strategic partnership.

“The challenge for us in Washington and New Delhi is to keep pace with the ambition and velocity of our private sector colleagues in New York and Mumbai - or Ahmedabad and Atlanta!” Mr. Pyatt said citing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

“U.S.-India economic cooperation has been a driver of our transformed bilateral relationship, and in many ways is the decisive factor behind India’s changing place in the international system,” he said.

“With the fulcrum of geopolitics shifting quickly to Asia, India plays an increasingly critical role in U.S. strategy,” Mr. Pyatt said. “Indeed, amid the democratic transformation of Egypt and the continuing unrest in Bahrain, Libya and Yemen, India’s value as an anchor of democratic stability in the Indian Ocean region has only increased.” he added.

 
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/article1492264.ece

Chủ Nhật, 13 tháng 2, 2011

Mỹ tìm kiếm vai trò của Ấn Độ trong cuộc tổng tuyển cử ở Ai Cập

US seeks India role in Egypt elections
 
Chidanand Rajghatta
TNN
Feb 14, 2011

WASHINGTON: A possible Indian role in any upcoming elections in Egypt given New Delhi's expertise with ballots was the unexpected subject of conversation over the weekend between external affairs minister SM Krishna and US secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

In a phone call initiated by Krishna, mainly to raise the Tri-Valley students issue, Hillary Clinton first mentioned the Egypt developments, noting that Washington and New Delhi were almost consonant in their approach of wanting a peaceful transition. She then wondered if India could be associated with helping the Egyptian electoral process given its experience and expertise in conducting elections, according to sources.

Krishna told the secretary that India would be ready and willing depending on the approach Egypt and other friendly countries made on this matter over the next few weeks. New Delhi has a long association with Cairo and is generally looked at favorable in Egypt.

The two also discussed Clinton's upcoming visit to India in April for the strategic dialogue, aimed at strengthening and taking forward US-India ties that appear ever more aligned. The one wrinkle in the engagement appears to be the possible absence of defense minister AK Antony from the Indian line-up of engaging ministers because of his pre-occupation with elections in Kerala.

Washington is keen to deploy defense secretary Robert Gates for the ministerial-level dialogue given the US emphasis on strengthening defense ties and concluding military sales, but Antony, who was a no-show during the first strategic dialogue in Washington last year, will be absent this time too, much to US dismay.

Officials said Krishna also "strongly" raised the Tri-Valley students issue with Clinton, asking that they be given time to shift to some other university instead of being given deadlines and deported. They had come to the US on valid visas and authorities should look at it from a humanitarian viewpoint and make adjustments so that they did not lose an academic year, he requested. Clinton promised to look into the matter.

The Indian ambassador to US Meera Shankar is expected to meet Clinton next week to brief her on what has become an emotive issue in India, and foreign secretary Nirupama Rao is also expected to explain the matter when she calls on the secretary in Washington this week.

Krishna took up the Tri-Valley students issue after a group of students, accompanied by relatives, called on him on Saturday to explain their predicament. While the minister heard them sympathetically, officials said they also recognized that some of the students had come to the US with the explicit purpose of working and immigrating, rather than academic pursuit. Even if US authorities offered them the option of transferring to other universities, many of them were not inclined or in a position to take up the offer, since academic pursuit was not a priority for them in the first place.

During the meetings, students requested not to be photographed for fear of attracting the attention of US authorities.

Some 1500 Indian students, mostly from Andhra Pradesh, who entered the US legally on valid visas, stand accused of misusing the provisions of student visas by knowingly enrolling in a sham university because it offered to circumvent rule and provide them employment opportunities.


Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/US-seeks-India-role-in-Egypt-elections/articleshow/7490741.cms

Tiến bộ trong đàm phán Hiệp định thuế quan Ấn Độ-Mỹ

Good progress towards tax treaty with U.S.
 
Special Correspondent
The Hindu
NEW DELHI, Feb 11, 2011

Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia on Friday said there had been significant progress in negotiations between India and the U.S. on the Avoidance of Double Taxation on Social Security (Totalisation Agreement).

Inaugurating the seventh Indo-U.S. Economic Summit organised by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Ahluwalia said the Double Taxation Avoidance Treaty had been given importance in the Indo-U.S. economic dialogue and in the Indo-U.S. CEOs Forum. However, the issue has not been resolved as yet since there are some complex issues that need to be addressed.

“The position is much better than what it was some years back,” he added.

Calling for greater cooperation among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in India and the U.S., Dr. Ahluwalia said that there could be enormous opportunities for businesses in both the countries if they systematically tapped this segment of business. At present, the Indo-U.S. economic engagement is mostly dominated by higher technology, financial and defence issues.

Dr. Ahluwalia said the approach paper on the XII Plan would be ready by April or May this year. To make it participative, the Planning Commission is inviting comments from all segments of the society, including through Facebook. Talking to reporters, he said that inflation was not induced by price spiral of the cereals but on account of the prices of vegetables and fruits.

He expressed the hope that inflation would be under check by the end of this fiscal.

 
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/article1413772.ece

Thứ Ba, 8 tháng 2, 2011

Các công ty Mỹ sẽ đẩy mạnh hoạt động ở Ấn Độ

'US firms set to increase activities in India'
 
PTI
Feb 8, 2011

SINGAPORE: American companies have expressed strong interests in increasing businesses in India, especially supporting the "commercial diplomacy" of President Barack Obama, who visited New Delhi last November, the US ambassador to Singapore, David Adelman, said on Tuesday.

"I think the American businesses has weighed the challenges and opportunities and has come out on the side having more activities in India," said Adelman in an interview.

He highlighted the strong economic growth and emerging business opportunities in India, and pointed out the American businesses' strong preferences to further build trade and investment relations with the Indians.

American technology companies would also want to increase their investment and presence in India, according to Adelman, who noted that India's formidable technology sector has strong interest in intellectual property rights.

"Every country has challenges and opportunities, and American businesses have made the decision that they want to be in India," he said.

The Ambassador gave his assessment of India-US business relationships ahead of a high-power trade delegation visit to New Delhi and Mumbai next month.

He said the decision on the week-long business trip, scheduled from March 14, 2011, came from Singapore-based American corporations, and would be part of the ongoing US trade delegation visits taking place between New Delhi and Washington.

He said Singapore was the apt place to organise the business mission, given that the top decision makers of US corporations were based in Singapore and the region.

He expects to lead 24 corporate heads on the India visit. Singapore is home to more than 2,000 US companies, some of which are operating regional headquarters.

The US Embassy along with the Indian High Commission and the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore are holding a seminar on February 10 on business prospects, policies and technologies.

A similar visit to Delhi was organised in 2007 by the Embassy and the American Chamber of Commerce.

But a diplomatic source said this week's business seminar and the March trade delegation was a "bigger step" for Corporate America, seeking out new opportunities in Asia including Indonesian and Vietnam, having built a presence in China over the past three decades.


Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/nri/news/US-firms-set-to-increase-activities-in-India/articleshow/7455882.cms

Boeing bán cho Ấn Độ 107 máy bay thương mại

Boeing to deliver 107 commercial airplanes to India
 
PTI
Bangalore, February 8, 2011

Boeings' new 787 Dreamliner. 37 of these aircraft are to be delivered to India. Photo: AP

 
Boeing’s engagement with India has increased in parallel with the growth of strategic Indo-U.S. relationship.

The Boeing Company would deliver 107 commercial airplanes to India out of which 37 will be 787 Dreamliner passenger jets, a top company official said today.

Boeing India president Dinesh Keskar, however, did not specify the timeline for delivery of the aircrafts. The project to deliver the commercial airlines is almost three years behind schedule.

Boeing’s engagement with India has increased in parallel with the growth of strategic Indo-U.S. relationship.

“The company’s offset commitment of $ 2.3 billion is a catalyst to spur technology development and job creation, and to firmly establish India’s industrial position in the international aerospace supply chain,” Mr. Keskar, who is also Vice-President of Boeing International, said.

The other growth drivers were profit making Indian air carriers, growth of tier 2 and 3 airports and India becoming a key military spender, Mr. Keskar said.

Today’s industry strategy is to develop aerospace capabilities common to commercial and defence sectors, develop SMEs to enhance the supply chain ecosystem, leverage technical strength in aerospace and enhance potential industry skill-set to build leadership, he said.

Boeing has 17 suppliers in India as against 10,000 worldwide, Mr. Keskar said.

In addition to offering the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in the current medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) competition, other opportunities include C-17 Globemaster III, Apache, Chinook and P-81, Vice-President, International Business Development for Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS), Mark Kronenberg said.

Boeing also sees opportunities in the areas of homeland security, unmanned systems, cybersecurity, space and services and support.

Boeing is working with top India manufacturers including Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Bharat Electronics Limited, the Tata group, L&T to build several key components, Mr. Mark said.

It had increased its investment in training its partners in Lean manufacturing and programme management. Through its research and technology centre in Bangalore, Boeing was developing fundamental research in materials, avionics and aero structures in partnership with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) and five universities in India.

The company plans to expand the number of suppliers - both public and private sectors - in India and insert capability where there were gaps, thereby broadening the base of indigenous capability and increasing global competitiveness of India’s supply base, he said.


Source: http://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/article1168200.ece?homepage=true

Đại sứ Mỹ tại Ấn Độ: các thỏa thuận quân sự với Mỹ sẽ có lợi cho Ấn Độ

‘Defence foundational pacts with U.S. to benefit India'
 
Special Correspondent
The Hindu
BANGALORE, February 8, 2011

The U.S. Ambassador to India Timothy J. Roemer said on Tuesday that India would be able to get “huge benefits” by signing the Logistics Support Agreement (LSA), the Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) and the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for geo-spatial cooperation (BECA) agreements with the U.S.

Addressing the media on the eve of the Aero India 2011, the international air show that begins in Bangalore on Wednesday, Mr. Roemer said, “It is up to the Indian Government to decide the time for signing the defence foundational agreements.”

Mr. Roemer said the U.S. Government entered into these agreements “only with our closest allies, particularly the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies.” Signing these agreements would allow India to access even more sophisticated defence technologies, he said.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke said the U.S. Government had already initiated “the first steps” in changing export control policies that were applicable to India. Mr. Locke said his current visit to Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai were part of a business development mission that was “a follow-up” to President Obama's visit to India in November 2010.

Twenty-four U.S. companies are participating in Aero India 2011.


Source: http://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/article1168335.ece

Thứ Hai, 7 tháng 2, 2011

Quan chức Mỹ thăm Ấn Độ để thảo luận các vấn đề liên quan đến quân sự và thương mại

U.S. official in India to discuss defence, trade
 
PTI
Washington, February 8, 2011

Ahead of the Defence Policy Group meeting in Washington next month, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, Andrew J. Shapiro, is in India beginning from Tuesday to hold a series of discussions with his Indian counterparts on defence and trade related issues.

The State Department, in a statement, said Mr. Shapiro’s four day India visit is aimed at building on the achievements of the November trip of U.S. President Barack Obama.

“The visit’s agenda reflects the President’s initiative to craft an indispensable partnership with India which will shape a secure and prosperous 21st century,” the statement said.

His visit, accompanying Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, comes at a time when the U.S. is seeking to increase significantly the volume and technological sophistication of U.S. defence sales to India, the State Department said.

Mr. Shapiro will also attend the Aero India 2011 air show and aviation exhibition in Bangalore, followed by meetings with senior civilian and military officials in New Delhi to discuss defence trade issues.

The officials will discuss maritime security and counter-piracy cooperation.

India has been an active participant in the 60-nation Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, and joins the U.S. among countries contributing naval forces to patrol regional waters.

The officials will also discuss support to international peacekeeping through the Global Peace Operations Initiative.

At Aero India, Assistant Secretary Shapiro will meet with Indian defence officials and industry representatives, who will be welcoming the arrival of the first of six C-130J aircraft under a recent USD 950 million purchase.

The aircraft will provide the Indian Air Force with advanced strategic and humanitarian airlift capabilities.

Two US companies are also currently competing for India’s USD 11 billion Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) tender, the State Department said.


Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article1166996.ece

Thứ Tư, 26 tháng 1, 2011

Cố vấn an ninh quốc gia Ấn Độ Menon sẽ hội kiến với Ngoại trưởng Mỹ Clinton trong tuần này

Menon-Clinton talks in Washington this week

PTI
Washington, January 25, 2011

National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon

The National Security Advisor, Shivshankar Menon, will arrive in Washington later this week to hold a series of meetings with top officials of Obama Administration including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and his American counterpart Tom Donilon at the White House.

The first high—level meeting between the two countries after the November visit of U.S. President Barack Obama to India is considered as a preparatory one for the next round of India—U.S. Strategic Dialogue to be held in New Delhi in April.

Ms. Clinton would be leading a high—power U.S. delegation, including several Cabinet ranking officials, to India for the Strategic Dialogue, which would be co—chaired by the Secretary of State and External Affairs Minister S .M. Krishna.

A senior State Department official said Ms. Clinton would be hosting dinner for Mr. Menon, reflecting the high importance she attaches to America’s relationship with India.

Menon—Donilon meeting at the White House would also follow up on Mr. Obama’s November visit and review the progress being done so far.

The two leaders are also expected to discuss situation in the region, including Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Counter-terrorism cooperation between the two countries is also expected to be one of the major topics of discussions, when Mr. Menon meets top U.S. officials during his three—day stay in the U.S. later this week.

“We have an ongoing counter—terrorism cooperation with India. We share a concern about the threat of terrorism, both in the region and around the world,” State Department spokesman P. J. Crowley told reporters at his daily news conference.

“I can’t point to any particular action that we’ve done in recent days, but we continue to have full cooperation between India and the United States as well as other countries,” Mr. Crowley said in response to a question.


Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article1123691.ece

Obama: Mỹ đã xây dựng quan hệ đối tác mới với Ấn Độ

U.S. has built new partnership with India: Obama

PTI
The Hindu
Washingto
n, January 26, 2011

U.S. President Barack Obama gestures on Capitol Hill in Washington prior to delivering his State of the Union address in Washington, on Tuesday.

U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday said that his administration has built a new partnership with India, as the U.S. has stepped up efforts to ensure global peace and prosperity.

Mr. Obama visited India in November last year.

Building new relationship with countries like India, Mr. Obama said, is part of his efforts to shape a world that favours peace and prosperity.

“With our European allies, we revitalised NATO, and increased our cooperation on everything from counter—terrorism to missile defence,” Mr. Obama said.

We have reset our relationship with Russia, strengthened Asian alliances, and built new partnerships with nations like India, Mr. Obama said in his annual State of the Union Address to the Congress.

“This March, I will travel to Brazil, Chile, and El Salvador to forge new alliances for progress in the Americas,” he added.

“Around the globe, we are standing with those who take responsibility — helping farmers grow more food; supporting doctors who care for the sick; and combating the corruption that can rot a society and rob people of opportunity,” he said.

Mr. Obama said the American leadership can also be seen in the effort to secure the worst weapons of war.

“Because Republicans and Democrats approved the New START Treaty, far fewer nuclear weapons and launchers will be deployed,” he said.

Because we rallied the world, nuclear materials are being locked down on every continent so they never fall into the hands of terrorists, he added.

“Because of a diplomatic effort to insist that Iran meet its obligations, the Iranian government now faces tougher and tighter sanctions than ever before”, Mr. Obama said.

“And on the Korean peninsula, we stand with our ally South Korea, and insist that North Korea keeps its commitment to abandon nuclear weapons, he added.

“This is just a part of how we are shaping a world that favours peace and prosperity,” he asserted.


Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article1126659.ece

Thứ Ba, 25 tháng 1, 2011

Mỹ dỡ bỏ hạn chế đối với Tổ chức Nghiên cứu và phát triển quân sự, Tổ chức Nghiên cứu Không gian của Ấn Độ

US lifts curbs on ISRO, DRDO
Chidanand Rajghatta,
TNN
The Times of India

Jan 25, 2011


WASHINGTON: The United States on Monday removed several Indian government defense-related companies, including four subsidiaries each of DRDO (Defense Research and Development Organisation) and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization), from the so-called Entity List, in an effort to drive hi-tech trade and forge closer strategic ties with India.

With this, the 13-year old squeeze on export of high-tech, dual-use items to the Indian defence and space entities, imposed after India's nuclear tests in 1998, comes to an end. "Today's action marks a significant milestone in reinforcing the US-India strategic partnership and moving forward with export control reforms that will facilitate high technology trade and cooperation," U.S Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said in a statement after the administration issued a federal notification removing the curbs.

The lifting of curbs, described by the administration as the "first steps" to implement the export control policy initiatives announced by President Obama and Indian Prime Minister Singh on November 8, 2010, precedes a visit to New Delhi on February 6 of Secretary Locke, who is leading 24 U.S. businesses on a high-tech trade mission to India hoping to snag billions of dollars of export orders. It also comes on the eve of India's Republic Day.

The Indian Government-run companies that have been relieved from the onerous curbs on U.S exports include Bharat Dynamics Ltd(BDL), which makes India's missiles and munitions; four subsidiaries of DRDO (Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Defense Research and Development Lab (DRDL), Missile Research and Development Complex; and Solid State Physics Laboratory); and four subsidiaries of ISRO (Liquid Propulsion Systems Center (LPSC), Solid Propellant Space Booster Plant (SPROB), Sriharikota Space Center (SHAR), and Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC).

Removing the nine organizations from the Entity List eliminates a license requirement specific to the companies, and results in the removed companies being treated the same way as any other destination in India for export licensing purposes, U.S officials explained, rejecting the broad notion that the entities were under sanctions. Most import requests by the Indian entities were considered on a case-by-case basis, with presumption of denial changing to assumption of approval as ties improved after the tense months that followed the nuclear tests.

Now, it would appear the relaxation of export controls is aimed at more than just ginning up hi-tech trade and American exports. An administration official who briefed correspondents on background left little doubt that the relaxation had larger strategic implications, pointing out that the re-ordering of rules to exempt India spanned three U.S administrations and Presidents and two Indian governments and Prime Ministers, and was result of greater engagement and growing trust between the two countries.

Following up on exemptions long sought by India, in a process that involved tortured negotiations, the U.S Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) on Monday published a Federal Register Notice which updates the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) relating to India in several ways. They include not just lifting curbs on the Indian entities, but also removing India from several country groups in the EAR resulting in the removal of export license requirements that were tied to India's placement in those country groups. Countries that figure in EAR include China, Pakistan, Russia, and in some instances, even Israel.

In addition, the Obama administration is also paving way to induct India to a country group in the EAR that consists of members of the Missile Technology Control Regime MTCR), "to recognize and communicate India 's adherence to the regime, the U.S.-India strategic partnership, and India 's global non-proliferation standing," the BIS notification said.

While the changes move India into different league altogether, Washington also has several requirements from New Delhi to ensure it stays in line with its non-proliferation goals. "These changes reaffirm the U.S. commitment to work with India on our mutual goal of strengthening the global nonproliferation framework," Under Secretary of Commerce Eric Hirschhorn, said in a statement on the occasion of the changes.


Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-lifts-curbs-on-ISRO-DRDO/articleshow/7357500.cms

Thứ Tư, 19 tháng 1, 2011

Tống thống Obama công khai đề cập vấn đề nhân quyền với Chủ tịch Hồ Cẩm Đào

Obama publicly raises human rights with China's Hu
 
AGENCIES
The Times of India

Jan 19, 2011

WASHINGTON: Touching on a key source of tension between the US and China, President Barack Obama greeted Chinese President Hu Jintao on Wednesday by stressing the need for nations to observe universal human rights. Hu responded with a call for both countries to respect each other's core interests.

Obama welcomed Hu to the White House with full honors and a red-carpet greeting, marking the start of daylong meetings to address trade, security and human rights issues that have been the cause of past strain between the two powers.

"History shows that societies are more harmonious, nations are more successful and the world is more just when the rights and responsibilities of all nations and all peoples are upheld including the universal rights of every human being," Obama said in his remarks.

China's human right's policies have caused strains between the rival powers, with the US calling on China to release jailed dissidents, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, who was prevented from attending the Dec. 10 prize ceremony in the Norwegian capital.

Obama's tone was nonetheless friendly, welcoming China's rise as a global economic force. "We have an enormous stake in each other's success," he said.

Hu said the relationship between the two counties has grown to one of "strategic significance and global influence."

But he pointedly added: "China and the United States should respect each other's choice of development paths and each other's core interests."

By "core interests" Hu was referring to issues on which China will brook no challenge, such as its claim to the currently self-governing island of Taiwan, which split from the mainland amid civil war in 1949, and to Tibet, which is already under China's control. US leaders, including Obama, have irked China repeatedly by meeting with exile Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. The announcement of the latest US arms sales to Taiwan last year prompted China to sever military ties with the US for several months.

Seeking to show the benefits of economic ties, the two countries reached agreement on export deals worth $45 billion, including China's purchase of 200 Boeing aircraft, a senior US official said shortly after talks began.

The state visit marked Hu's first trip to the US since 2006, when his arrival ceremony was marred by protocol blunders including an outburst from a protester from the Falun Gong spiritual sect. No such missteps occurred Wednesday.

It follows an up and down two years in which an assertive China initially cold-shouldered the US on climate change, did little to reel in its unpredictable ally North Korea and responded limply to US pleas to mitigate trade imbalances. For its part, the US riled China by selling arms to Taiwan and inviting the Dalai Lama to the White House.

Both sides are now setting a more positive tone. Hu pulled up to the White House portico Wednesday as part of a highly choreographed arrival, complete with welcomes from the president, Vice President Joe Biden and their wives and a long line of Cabinet members and Chinese dignitaries.

Obama and Hu stood at attention as a military band played both national anthems. The Chinese anthem was properly announced as that of the "People's Republic of China," avoiding another gaffe committed during Hu's 2006 visit, when an announcer mistakenly used the official name of Taiwan.

The two leaders inspected troops on the White House South Lawn. They then approached a rope line where they shook hands and greeted a group of children and young people holding Chinese and US flags, including Obama's 9-year-old daughter, Sasha. The students all attend Washington area schools with programs in China studies and Chinese language.

Obama and Biden then met with Hu in the Oval Office ahead of an expanded meeting that will include their respective staffs. At the top of the meeting, as the two leaders waited for photographers to capture the usual Oval Office handshake, Obama was overheard engaging in a typical conversation ice breaker: The weather.

"This is very typical January weather here in Washington," Obama explained to his guest.

The president also will host a session with Hu, Chinese business leaders and 14 leading American chief executives, many of whom are seeking greater openness from China. Illustrating the political implications of the trade issue, a bipartisan coalition of 84 House members announced it had sent Obama a letter urging him to get tough with the Chinese president over what the lawmakers called China's consistent violations of international trade law.


Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Obama-publicly-raises-human-rights-with-Chinas-Hu-/articleshow/7322118.cms

Thứ Sáu, 14 tháng 1, 2011

Mỹ có thể dỡ bỏ cấm vận đối với Tổ chức Nghiên cứu Không gian và Tổ chức Nghiên cứu và Phát triển Quốc phòng Ấn Độ

U.S. likely to lift ban on ISRO, DRDO soon

PTI
The Hindu

January 14, 2011

The U.S., which imposed curbs on trade with defence entities like ISRO and DRDO following India’s nuclear tests in 1998, has set in motion regulatory changes to lift the ban soon, thus fulfilling a commitment made by President Barack Obama.

A formal notification to lift the ban by the U.S. Department of Commerce for this purpose is in advanced stage, top U.S. officials said.

“These regulatory changes will begin the transformation of the bilateral export control policies to realise the full potential of the strategic partnership between our two countries,” Eric Hirschhorn, Under Secretary for Industry and Security, U.S. Department of Commerce, told PTI.

But he did not give any time line for the removal of restrictions, which is eagerly awaited in India.

However, official sources said a formal notification in this regard could well be issued before the scheduled India visit of Commerce Secretary Gary Locke from February 6-11.

U.S. imposed curbs on trade with these defence entities in the wake nuclear tests carried out by India in 1998.

“The Department of Commerce is working quickly to publish a regulation that will remove Indian space and defence-related entities from the Entity List and enact other India-specific export control changes,” a senior U.S. official said.

They clarified these notifications would be India specific.

“We have a separate track on these issues in partnership with India,” another Administration official said.

“As you’ll recall, in New Delhi, the President together with the Prime Minister announced a resolution of unilateral export control issues and the President announced his support for India in multilateral fora. That has not changed and we continue to move forward on those steps,” the official said.

Mr. Obama, during his India visit, had assured India that he would remove these companies from the entities list.

“Commensurate with India’s non-proliferation record and commitment to abide by multilateral export control standards, the US will remove all civil space and defence-related entities from the Department of Commerce “Entity List.”

“Inclusion on this list generally triggers an export license requirement when exported,” said a fact sheet issued by the White House during the Obama visit.


Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article1092621.ece

Chủ Nhật, 9 tháng 1, 2011

Quan hệ Mỹ - Ấn: Nhân tố Trung Quốc

U.S.-India Relations: The China Factor

The Heritage Foundation
Published on November 25, 2008 by Lisa Curtis
Backgrounder #2209

With the completion of the U.S.-India civil nuclear agreement earlier this year, Washington's ties with New Delhi stand on the threshold of great promise. China's attempt to scuttle the agreement at the Sep­tember 2008 Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) meeting was evidence for many Indians that China does not willingly accept India's rise on the world stage, nor the prospect of closer U.S.-India ties.

As the relationship between the world's oldest and the world's largest democracies develops, Washington will need to pay close attention to the dynamics of the India-China relationship. The future direction of rela­tions between China and India, two booming econo­mies that together account for one-third of the world's population, will be a major factor in determining broader political and economic trends in Asia directly affecting U.S. interests.

While on the surface Indian-Chinese relations appear to be improving (trade has increased eightfold in the last six years to almost $40 billion), both sides harbor deep suspicions of the other's strategic inten­tions. Signs of their deep-seated disagreements have begun to surface over the last two years and it is likely that such friction will continue, given their unsettled borders, China's interest in consolidating its hold on Tibet, and India's expanding influence in Asia. China has moved slowly on border talks and conducted sev­eral incursions into the Indian states of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh since January 2008.[1]

Some Indian analysts believe that China is pursu­ing a two-pronged strategy of lulling India into com­placency with greater economic interaction while taking steps to encir­cle India and undermine its security. China is strengthening ties to its tradi­tional ally Pakistan and slowly gaining influence with other South Asian states. Beijing is developing strategic port facilities in Sittwe, Burma; Chit­tagong, Bangladesh; Hambantota, Sri Lanka; and Gwadar, Pakistan, in order to protect sea lanes and ensure unin­terrupted energy supplies. China also uses military and other kinds of assis­tance to court these nations, especially when India and other Western states attempt to use their assistance pro­grams to encourage respect for human rights and democracy.

Tibet and Border Tensions

Despite improvements in economic ties and trade relations, border dis­putes continue to bedevil Chinese- Indian ties. India accuses China of ille­gally occupying more than 14,000 square miles of its territory on its northern border in Kashmir, while China lays claim to more than 34,000 square miles of India's northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh. India is a long-term host to the Dalai Lama and about 100,000 Tibetan refugees, although the Indian government for­bids them from participating in any political activity.

Out of concern for Chinese sensi­tivities, the Indian government placed restrictions on Tibetan protesters in India last spring during the uprising in Tibet, and Beijing praised New Delhi for preventing Tibetans from march­ing to the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. The Indian political opposition, however, criticized Indian Prime Minister Man­mohan Singh for appeasing the Chi­nese and for not defending Tibetans' human rights. Renewed tensions in Tibet would likely put pres­sure on New Delhi to show greater solidarity with the Tibetan people. China has recently started to raise the issue of the Dalai Lama's status in India in diplomatic talks for the first time in several years, indicating its increased concern over the issue.

Table 1

The two sides have achieved little in the ongoing border talks that opened in the early 1980s. In 2003, each side appointed "special representa­tives"--a national security adviser for India, a vice foreign minister for China--to upgrade and regu­larize the border discussions. New Delhi has tried to reassure China that it respects the Chinese position on Tibet by recognizing the "Tibetan Autonomous Region" as part of China, while the Chinese Foreign Ministry in 2003 recognized the trade route through the Nathu La Pass on the Chinese border to the Indian state of Sikkim and stopped listing Sik­kim as an independent country on its Web site, implicitly recognizing it as part of India.

Map 1


Nevertheless, China's increasing assertiveness over the past two years has led to a near freeze of the border talks.[2] The 12th round of the special-repre­sentative talks held in mid-September in Beijing ended without any specific agreements, and with both sides merely stating they would fulfill the guidelines of their leaders and negotiate a "fair and reasonable" solution.[3]

The Chinese have recently toughened their posi­tion during border talks by insisting that the Tawang district--a pilgrimage site for Tibetans in Arunachal Pradesh--be ceded to China. The Indi­ans refused the demand and reiterated their posi­tion that any areas with settled populations would be excluded from territorial exchanges. In what could be an attempt to pressure the Indians on the issue, the Chinese have been strengthening their military infrastructure along the border and establishing a network of road, rail, and air links in the region.[4]

Beijing also stirred controversy in May 2007 when it denied an entry visa to an officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) from the state of Arunachal Pradesh on the grounds that he was from territory the Chinese officially recognize as their own, prompting India to cancel the visit of the entire group of more than a hundred IAS officers to China for a training program.[5]

India has recently begun to reinforce its own claims in the border areas that are in dispute with China. New Delhi is augmenting forces in the east­ern sector along the border of Arunachal Pradesh. It also re-deployed elements of its 27th Mountain Division from Jammu and Kashmir to the 30-km-wide Siliguri corridor at the intersection of India, Tibet, and Bhutan that links India with the rest of its northeastern states.[6] The area, referred to as the Chicken Neck, is a vulnerable point of the border-- losing control of it would separate India from its entire northeast region.

The Indian army is also planning to raise a new mountain strike corps for Arunachal Pradesh.[7] Prime Minister Singh visited Arunachal Pradesh in late January 2008 and announced development plans for the region, including construction of a highway connecting the controversial Tawang dis­trict with the city of Mahadevpur, underlining India's non-negotiable stance on maintaining Tawang within its boundaries.

India is also taking steps in what is referred to as the Western Sector (in the state of Jammu and Kash­mir), such as building roads and re-opening air bases along the borders. India re-opened an airstrip in Daulat Beg Oldie in the Ladakhregion in June and may re-open another in eastern Ladakh close to the Line of Actual Control (the de facto border), which would help supply troops posted in the area.

-------
Indian Lessons from the 1962 Sino-Indian Border War

The history of events leading up to the Sino-Indian border war of 1962 and the severe Indian disillusionment with the Chinese in the aftermath of that conflict provides a useful context for assessing current developments in Chinese-Indian relations. Even after China invaded and annexed Tibet in 1950, India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, believed that India should seek a close relationship with China. Nehru was convinced that an India-China friendship could be the basis of an Asian resurgence.[8] Nehru apparently wanted to give the Chinese the benefit of the doubt since they were, like the Indians, also emerging from the colonial era. Many fellow Indians, including members of Nehru's cabinet, believed otherwise. They cautioned Nehru to view the event as a sign that China could pose a danger to India's own territorial integrity and that India should, therefore, begin to prepare its defenses accordingly.[9]

Nehru's trust of China cost India dearly in 1962 when the Chinese simultaneously invaded the eastern and western sectors of their shared borders. The Indian parliament accused Nehru of turning a blind eye to Chinese construction of a road through what was then Indian territory in the Aksai Chin. After the invasion and defeat by the Chinese, Nehru declared that China had revealed itself as "an expansionist, imperious-minded country."[10] A feeling of betrayal from a country that they had supported in the international arena permeated the Indian psyche for years to come.

Indian strategic analysts, remembering the 1962 border war, now warn Indian officials not to make the mistakes of the past by downplaying Chinese border aggression. They argue that if New Delhi publicly downplays provocative Chinese actions in the border areas (as it did with construction of the road through the Aksai Chin in the early 1960s), the Chinese will interpret the silence as a sign of weakness and exploit it.[11]

-------
At the same time that border tensions are sim­mering, however, the two countries are beginning to conduct joint military exercises. Holding even minor joint military exercises--as long as they are reciprocal in terms of exposure--can help build confidence and increase transparency between their militaries, helping to keep border tensions in check. Last December, for example, 100 troops from each country engaged in a joint anti-terrorism military exercise in China's southwestern province of Yunnan.

Civil Nuclear Deal Brings Out India-China Competition

Increasing U.S. attention paid to India over the past five years--especially Washington's decision to extend civil nuclear cooperation to New Delhi-- surprised Chinese policymakers and caused them to reassess their policies toward India. Chinese offi­cials have developed a more serious policy toward India and now acknowledge that India is becoming a major Asian power.

China's apparent attempt to scuttle the U.S.- India Civil Nuclear Agreement at the September 2008 NSG meeting was evidence for many Indians that China does not willingly accept India's rise on the world stage. The Chinese--buoyed by the unexpected opposition from NSG nations like New Zealand, Austria, and Ireland--threatened the agreement with delaying tactics and last-minute concerns signaled through an article in the Chinese Communist Party's English language paper, The Peo­ple's Daily.[12] The public rebuke of the deal followed several earlier assurances from Chinese leaders that Beijing would not block consensus at the NSG.

Indian observers claim the Chinese tried to walk out of the NSG meetings in order to prevent a consensus, but that last-minute interventions from senior U.S. and Indian officials convinced them that the price of scuttling the deal would be too high, forcing them to return to the meeting.[13] Indian strategic affairs analyst Uday Bhaskar attrib­uted the Chinese maneuvering to longstanding competition between the two Asian rivals. "Clearly, until now China has been the major power in Asia," said Bahskar. "With India entering the NSG, a new strategic equation has been introduced into Asia and this clearly has caused disquiet to China." In a recent speech, Indian Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram, citing China's position within the NSG, said that, "From time to time, China takes unpredictable positions that raise a number of questions about its attitude toward the rise of India."

China is also wary of the potential for stronger U.S.-India military cooperation. India has em­barked on an ambitious military modernization ef­fort and is increasingly looking to the United States to purchase advanced weaponry. The completion of the civil nuclear deal will likely raise the confidence of the Indian defense establishment in the U.S. as a reliable supplier and, therefore, set the stage for a much broader and deeper defense relationship be­tween the U.S. and India over the next several years. Following are some major milestones in the U.S.-India defense trade relationship:
The recent sale of six C130-J Hercules military transport aircraft worth $1 billion is the largest U.S. military sale to India to date.
In 2006 the U.S. Congress authorized the trans­fer of the USS Trenton amphibious transport dock to India.
U.S. firms are also competing with Russian and European firms to fulfill an Indian request for 126 multi-role combat aircraft worth close to $10 billion.
U.S. companies are bidding to supply 197 light observation helicopters and 22 combat helicop­ters to the Indian Air Force and the Army Avia­tion Corps at a cost of about $1.5 billion.[14]

In 2005, India and the U.S. signed a 10-year defense framework agreement that calls for ex­panded joint military exercises, increased defense-related trade, and the establishment of a defense and procurement production group. The U.S. and India have conducted more than 50 military exer­cises since 2002, demonstrating how far the mili­tary partnership has progressed in a relatively short period.

One of the most significant of these exercises was held in September of last year and involved three other nations--Japan, Australia, and Singapore--in the Bay of Bengal.This exercise raised concern in Beijing about the development of a democracy axis aimed at countering China's influence. To reassure the Chinese of its intentions, the new Australian government led by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd backed away from a diplomatic quadrilateral initia­tive begun in 2007 among the U.S., Australia, Japan, and India.

Other Areas of Potential China-India Conflict

Energy is also increasingly becoming a source of friction between China and India. They are two of the world's fastest-growing energy consumers, with China importing about 50 percent of its energy needs and India importing 70 percent. China has consistently outbid India in the competition for energy sources, and these bidding wars have inflated energy prices, prompting the two countries to agree to joint bidding on certain contracts. The Chinese provide monetary and diplomatic entice­ments to secure energy-supplier contracts and largely ignore international concerns over issues like human rights and democracy.

Map 2

Energy competition between India and China is also reflected in the two countries' assertions of naval power. As India reaches into the Malacca Strait, Beijing is surrounding India by developing strategic port facilities in Sittwe, Burma; Chittagong, Bangladesh; Hambantota, Sri Lanka; and Gwadar, Pakistan, to protect sea lanes and ensure uninter­rupted energy supplies.

Water also has the potential to become a divi­sive issue in India's bilateral relations with China. New Delhi is concerned about the ecological impact that the Chinese plans to divert the rivers of Tibet for irrigation purposes in China will have on India. With China controlling the Tibetan plateau, the source of Asia's major rivers, the potential for conflict over increasingly scarce water resources remains a concern.[15]

China's Relations with Other South Asian States

China is strengthening its ties to India's historical rival Pakistan and slowly gaining influence with other South Asian states that border India. The South Asian nations view good ties with China as a useful counterweight to Indian dominance in the region. China uses military and other assistance to court these nations, especially when India and other Western states try to use their assistance programs to encourage respect for human rights and democracy.

Pakistan: Pakistan and China have long-stand­ing strategic ties, and China is Pakistan's largest defense supplier. China transferred equipment and technology to Pakistan's nuclear weapons and bal­listic missile programs throughout the 1980s and 1990s, enhancing Pakistan's strength in the South Asian strategic balance. Stephen Cohen, an expert on the Indian and Pakistani militaries, describes China as pursuing a classic balance of power by supporting Pakistan in a relationship that mirrors the relationship between the U.S. and Israel.[16] The most significant development in China-Pakistan military cooperation occurred in 1992 when China supplied Pakistan with 34 short-range ballistic M-11 missiles.[17]

China has helped Pakistan build two nuclear reactors at the Chasma site in the Punjab Province and continues to support Pakistan's nuclear pro­gram, although it has been sensitive to international condemnation of the A. Q. Khan affair and has cal­ibrated its nuclear assistance to Pakistan accord­ingly. In the run-up to Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to Pakistan in November 2006, media reports speculated that China would sign a major nuclear energy cooperation agreement with Pakistan. In the end, however, the Chinese provided a general pledge of support to Pakistan's nuclear energy program, but refrained from announcing plans to supply new nuclear reactors. During Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari's visit to Beijing in mid-October 2008, Beijing did come through with a pledge to help Pakistan construct two new nuclear power plants at Chasma, but did not propose or agree to a major China-Pakistan nuclear deal akin to the U.S.-India civil nuclear agreement.

China is also helping Pakistan develop a deep-sea port at the naval base at Gwadar in Pakistan's province of Baluchistan on the Arabian Sea. The port would allow China to secure oil and gas sup­plies from the Persian Gulf and project power in the Indian Ocean. China financed 80 percent of the $250 million for completion of the first phase of the project and reportedly is funding most of the sec­ond phase of the project as well.[18]

Nepal: Nepal occupies a strategic location along the Himalayan foothills dividing China and India. China provided military supplies to Nepalese King Gyanendra before he stepped down in 2005 while India and the U.S. were restricting their military assistance in an effort to promote political reconcil­iation within the country. Nonetheless, it does not appear that Nepal's new prime minister, Prachanda, holds a grudge against the Chinese for their previ­ous support of the king. Prachanda's Maoist move­ment patterned itself after Mao Zedong's "people's war" principles, and upon his assumption of power in August, Prachanda promptly paid a visit to Beijing where he met President Hu Jintao.

Over the past two years, Nepal has begun to crack down on Tibetan refugees on its territory in an apparent attempt to appease the Chinese. Last spring, Nepal's government ordered

Sri Lanka: Chinese assistance to Sri Lanka has increased substantially over the past year and may now even eclipse that of Sri Lanka's longtime biggest aid donor, Japan.[19] The Chinese are building a highway, developing two power plants, and con­structing a new port facility at Hambantota harbor. Chinese analysts say the port is strictly a commer­cial venture, while Indian analysts warn it could be used as a Chinese naval base to control the area.

China wants to expand political and security ties with the countries of the South Asia-Indian Ocean region to ensure the safety of Chinese sea lines of communication across the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka, for its part, needs Chinese assistance--especially military aid--as it fights a civil war with Tamil insurgents with whom it recently officially broke a six-year cease-fire. The U.S. and India have cur­tailed military supplies toSri Lankabecause of human rights concerns, and Chinese aid to Sri Lanka comes with no strings attached.

Bangladesh: Total trade between China and Bangladesh was around $3.5 billion in 2007, up about 8.5 percent from the previous year. China is an important source of military hardware for Bang­ladesh and increasingly is investing in Bangladesh's garment sector. With natural gas deposits in Bang­ladesh estimated at between 32 trillion and 80 tril­lion cubic feet, Bangladesh has gained strategic importance for both China and India as a potential source of energy. Bangladesh turned down India's proposal for a tri-nation gas pipeline with Burma.

India's Relationships with Southeast Asian States

India established a "Look East" policy in the early 1990s, but it has only recently begun to build polit­ical and economic ties with the states of Southeast Asia, which generally welcome India's involvement to balance growing Chinese influence. Most coun­tries in the region that are wary of China do not have the same apprehensions toward India.[20]

India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) signed a Partnership for Peace, Progress and Shared Prosperity agreement on November 11, 2004, marking a significant step in the development of relations between India and the countries of Southeast Asia. India became a full dia­logue partner of ASEAN in 1995, joined the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in 1996, became a summit partner of ASEAN (called ASEAN Plus One) in 2002, and became a member of the East Asia Sum­mit in December 2005.

In another step toward building its economic relations with the region, India will sign a free trade deal with the ASEAN countries in December 2008 after four years of talks. New Delhi says it wants to raise two-way trade with ASEAN to $50 billion by 2010, up from its current level of $38 billion.The India-ASEAN free trade agreement will reduce or eliminate import tariffs on 96 percent of items traded between the two starting in January 2009. India has also enhanced its naval profile in South­east Asia to strengthen its Look East policy and to disrupt the flow of arms across the Bay of Bengal to insurgents in India's northeast and to the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka.[21]

In addition to integrating with the multilateral institutional structures of Southeast Asia, India has focused on building stronger bilateral relationships in the region, especially with Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma, and Indonesia. India holds periodic naval exercises with these countries and participates in a biannual gathering of regional navies, called the Milan. India has also entered into bilateral defense cooperation agreements with Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Laos, and Indonesia.

Burma: India is particularly concerned about growing links between China and Burma, with which it shares land and maritime borders. New Delhi in recent years has de-emphasized its support for democracy there in order to build ties to the mil­itary junta, a policy that is causing friction between New Delhi and Washington. India was a strong pro­ponent of the democracy movement in Burma throughout the 1980s and gave sanctuary to thou­sands of Burmese refugees following the military junta's assumption of power in 1988. India changed its position, however, to one of "constructive engage­ment" when it sought Burmese cooperation against insurgents across their porous frontier in the mid-1990s and has more recently sought to counter growing Chinese influence and secure oil and gas deals with Burma to fulfill its growing energy re­quirements.[22] In the fall of 2007, attempts of the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) and other Indian companies to tap Burmese oil and gas were thwarted by Chinese pressure on Burmese authorities.[23]

In response to the September 2007 crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators, India placed arms sales to Burma under "review," halting them at least temporarily. Prime Minister Singh hosted the second-in-command of the military junta General Maung Aye in New Delhi six months later, however, and announced a deal to refurbish the Sittwe port as part of a larger project to allow sea access to India's northeastern states.

What This Means for U.S. Policy


As China and India rise politically and economi­cally on the world stage, it is natural that they com­pete with one another for influence. Although China's economic rise will continue to be faster than India's, Beijing may seek to counter New Delhi's political and geo-strategic influence. Rivalry between the two nations will be fueled especially by each country's efforts to reach into the other's tradi­tional spheres of influence, for example, China in South Asia and India in Southeast Asia. China's will­ingness to overlook human rights and democracy concerns in its relations with the smaller South Asian states will at times leave India at a disadvan­tage in asserting its power in the region, as was seen recently in Nepal and Sri Lanka.

China is wary of U.S. plans to support India's position in Asia and will seek to blunt Washington's overtures toward New Delhi. Beijing may discuss in private and public forums the importance of simul­taneous development of both China and India to try to show it welcomes India's rise. New Delhi, how­ever, will pay closer attention to Beijing's actions along the disputed China-India border to gauge Chinese overall strategic intentions toward India. China's unhelpful stance at the recent NSG meetings on the U.S.-India civil nuclear agreement was a reminder that Beijing remains uncomfortable with India's growing global role.

The U.S. should:
Continue to build strong, strategic ties to India by encouraging India to play a more active political and economic role in the region. To help India fulfill that role, Washing­ton should continue to seek a robust military-to-military relationship with New Delhi and enhance defense trade ties. Washington should also develop an Asian dialogue with India to dis­cuss developments in the broader Asia region more formally and regularly.
Encourage India's permanent involvement in values-based strategic initiatives like the U.S.-Japan-Australia trilateral dialogue. Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had proposed that Japan, India, Australia, and the U.S. formalize a four-way strategic dialogue. The new government in Canberra led by Kevin Rudd, however, has since backed away from the initia­tive. Washington should convince Canberra of the benefits of reviving and elevating a quadrilat­eral forum focused on promoting democracy, counterterrorism, and economic freedom and development in Asia. In the meantime, Washing­ton should continue to build the bilateral com­ponents of such a grouping--U.S.-Japan, U.S.- India, and U.S.-Australia relations--and work on a meaningful trilateral agenda among the U.S., Japan, and Australia that can accommodate additional partners down the road. The U.S. can also pursue U.S.-Japan-India trilateral initia­tives, especially in the areas of energy and mari­time cooperation, and through the institution of regular dialogue on Asian security issues. Indian- Japanese relations have been strengthening in recent years, as demonstrated by Prime Minister Singh's late October visit to Japan, where he signed a joint declaration on security coopera­tion and accepted a $4 billion Japanese loan commitment for infrastructure projects in India. The security agreement was the third such pact Japan has ever signed, including one with the U.S. and one with Australia.

Collaborate more closely with India on initia­tives that strengthen economic development and democratic trends in the region and work with India to counter any Chinese moves that could potentially undermine such trends in order to ensure the peaceful, democratic development of South Asia and Southeast Asia. This will require close coordination on developments in both South and Southeast Asia and increasing mutual confidence between India and the U.S. on each other's strategic intentions in the region. The U.S. should, for example, encourage India's role in helping Afghanistan develop into a stable democracy by encouraging Indian assistance for strengthening democratic institutions in Afghanistan, deepening U.S.- Indian exchanges on developments in Afghani­stan, and ensuring that India has a role in any regional efforts to stabilize the country.
Help India strengthen its cooperative activi­ties with the International Energy Agency to coordinate response mechanisms in the event of an oil emergency. The U.S. has a major stake in how India copes with its increasing energy demand and how it pursues competition with China for energy resources. The U.S. should work closely with India as it develops its strategic oil reserves to ensure that the major energy-con­suming countries are prepared to cooperate to resolve any potential global energy crises.
Avoid any potential India-China military conflict over unresolved border issues given the U.S. interest in ensuring stability in the region. Washington should watch their ongoing border talks closely without trying to medi­ate. The two sides are unlikely to reach any breakthroughs in their discussions in the near future, but Washington should remain watchful for any signs that tensions are ratcheting upward.

Conclusion

As the relationship between India and the U.S. develops, Washington will need to pay close atten­tion to the dynamics of the India-China relation­ship and be smart about its approach: Even though Washington and New Delhi share similar concerns regarding China, Indian officials will balk at any U.S. overture that appears to use New Delhi to con­tain or directly counter Chinese influence. Tensions between the two Asian giants could increase, espe­cially over their disputed borders and as they com­pete in each other's regional spheres of influence. But there are other, positive trends in Sino-Indian relations, such as improving economic ties, closer coordination on some common global political interests, and more frequent diplomatic exchanges. India and China have a long history and a compli­cated relationship. Any misstep by the U.S. that puts India in an awkward political situation has the potential to damage overall U.S. interests in the region and limit the prospects for the U.S.-India relationship.

Lisa Curtis is Senior Research Fellow for South Asia in the Asian Studies Center at The Heritage Foundation.

[1]Rajat Pandit, "Fresh Chinese Incursions Across LAC," The Times of India, September 10, 2008.
[2]Mohan Malik, "India-China Competition Revealed in Ongoing Border Disputes," Power and Interest News Report, October 9, 2007, at http://www.pinr.com/report.php?
ac=view_report&report_id=695&language_id=1
(October 24, 2008).
[3]"India, China Conclude Border Talks Without Agreement," NDTV.com, September 19, 2008, at http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?
id=NEWEN20080066012
(October 24, 2008).
[4]P. Stobdan, "Chinese Checkers in the Himalayas," Institute of Defense Studies and Analysis, June 13, 2008.
[5]Surjit Mansingh, "Rising China and Emergent India in the 21st Century: Friends or Rivals?" The Korean Journal of Defense Analysis, Vol. XIX, No. 4 (Winter 2007), p. 133.
[6]Tejinder Singh Sodhi, "Troop Cutback Begins in J&K," Tribune News Service, February 20, 2008, at http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080221/main4.htm (October27, 2008).
[7]Rahul Bedi, "Getting in Step: India Country Briefing," Defense Weekly, February 6, 2008.
[8]Surjit Mansingh, "Rising China and Emergent India in the 21st Century," p. 121.
[9]Ramachandra Guha, India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2007), pp. 176-179.
[10]Ibid., p. 337.
[11]B. Raman, "Our PM's Visit to China: Core Concerns Persist," Chennai Centre for China Studies, C3S Paper No. 99, January 15, 2008.
[12]Chris Buckley, "China State Paper Lashes India-U.S. Nuclear Deal," Reuters India, September 1, 2008, at http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-35260420080901 (October 27, 2008).
[13]Bhaskar Roy, "China Unmasked--What Next?" South Asia Analysis Group Paper No. 2840, September 12, 2008.
[14]Rahul Bedi, "India and U.S. Get Closer as Antony Visits Washington," Jane's Defence Weekly, September 17, 2008.
[15]Malik, "India-China Competition Revealed in Ongoing Border Disputes."
[16]Stephen P. Cohen, India: Emerging Power (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 2001), p. 259.
[17]Ahmad Faruqui, "The Complex Dynamics of Pakistan's Relationship with China," Islamabad Policy Research Institute, Summer 2001, at http://www.ipripak.org/journal/summer2001/thecomplex.shtml (October 27, 2008).
[18]Ziad Haider, "Baluchis, Beijing, and Pakistan's Gwadar Port," Politics and Diplomacy, Winter/Spring 2005, pp. 96, 97.
[19]Somini Sengupta, "Take Aid from China and Take a Pass on Human Rights," The New York Times, March 9, 2008.
[20]Horimoto Takenori, "The World as India Sees It," Gaiko Forum: Japanese Perspectives on Foreign Affairs, Vol. 6, No. 3 (Fall 2006), p. 6.
[21]Stephen J. Blank, Natural Allies? Regional Security in Asia and Prospects for Indo-American Strategic Cooperation (Carlisle, Penn.: Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, 2005), p. 69.
[22]Mansingh, "Rising China and Emergent India," p. 140.
[23]June Teufel Dreyer, "A New Era in Sino-Indian Relations or Deja-Vu All Over Again?" International Assessment and Strategy Center, January 19, 2008, at http://www.strategycenter.net/research/pubID.178/pub_detail.asp (October 27, 2008).


Source: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2008/11/us-india-relations-the-china-factor

The Pioneer: Mỹ-Ấn Độ nên chống lại ảnh hưởng hải quân của Trung Quốc

US- India should counter China's maritime influence

PTI | Washington
Thursday, September 2, 2010

With China increasing its military power and influence in the strategically crucial Indian Ocean, a noted American expert has urged the Obama Administration to partner India to balance and counter Beijing's increasing influence in the region.

As the Indian Ocean is becoming increasingly important to China's economic and security interests, Dean Cheng of the Heritage Foundation said that Beijing appears to be pursuing what has been widely known as a "string of pearls" strategy of cultivating India's neighbours as friendly states, both to protect its economic and security interests
and to balance a "rising India".

With Chinese influence in the region growing, it is essential that the US not fall behind in the Indian Ocean, but maintain a steady presence in the region, both to signal its resolve to stay engaged and to avoid the difficulties of reentering a region, Cheng wrote.

He said for the foreseeable future, Chinese strategic planners will need to pay increasing attention to China's Indian Ocean flank.

In the short term, Beijing is concerned about its growing dependence on the sea lanes of communications for sustaining China's economic growth.

In 2010, for the first time, China imported more than 50 per cent of its oil consumption. Chinese President Hu Jintao has already raised the issue of the Malacca Strait.

"There is little question that it is a key choke-point on China's oil supply routes. Part of China's interest in developing alternative ports and pipelines, such as in Pakistan and Burma, would seem to be motivated by a desire to reduce the criticality of the Malacca
Strait," he said.

"Even if China's oil lifeline did not have to transit the Strait of Malacca, it would nonetheless traverse significant portions of the Indian Ocean. The growth of the Indian navy means that Chinese economic development is potentially at the mercy of India, as well as the United States. The forging of Indian security links with Japan and the United States is therefore a source of concern," he noted. This is likely an essential part of what is driving

Chinese efforts to cultivate India's neighbours as friendly states, beyond the "string of pearls" strategy that China is said to entertain for the Indian Ocean region, Cheng wrote.

"That is, China is more intent on cultivating close ties, including but not limited to military ties, with the various South Asian states than necessarily focusing on surrounding and isolating India. The latter is simply a byproduct of the larger goal of ensuring that China's southern flank and the attendant oil lifeline are secure and populated by friendly states," he said.

Balancing India is likely to be a growing Chinese concern, not simply for the security of China's oil lifeline, but also because of India's overall growth.

"Just as the US is concerned about a 'rising China' and how to deal with a growing Chinese economy that provides substantially more wherewithal for a variety of purposes, so Chinese leaders are confronted with the potential of a 'rising India'," the expert added.


Source: http://www.dailypioneer.com/280387/US--India-should-counter-Chinas-maritime-influence.html

Chủ Nhật, 2 tháng 1, 2011

Robert Blake: Quan hệ Ấn-Mỹ mạnh hơn không nhằm đối trọng với Trung Quốc

Stronger Indo-US ties not to counterbalance China: US
 
PTI, Nov 16, 2010,

WASHINGTON/ NEW YORK: President Barack Obama's enthusiasm for a stronger Indo-US relationship is not to "counterbalance" China's growing influence over Asia, a top American official has said.
"I don't think you heard anybody say that in the course of the President's three-day visit (to India), we're looking to counterbalance China in any way," Robert Blake, assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia, Robert Blake, told journalists in New York and Washington during a digital video press conference.

"The President repeatedly made clear that we want a positive, cooperative and constructive relations with China in the same way that India does," he said.

Blake asserted that Obama's trip was to support India's expanding role in global institutions and Asian institutions, but the backing is not at China's cost.
"I think this is much more about how to expand India's role in some of these global institutions and in some of the Asian institutions, and we expressed clearly our support for that. But we do not see that growing role as coming at the expense of China," he said, pointing that secretary of state Hillary Clinton had recently said that "we do not seek to contain China."
After Obama endorsed India's bid for permanent membership in the UN Security Council, US media pointed out that this was to counterbalance China.
"By endorsing India for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, President Obama on Monday signaled the US' intention to create a deeper partnership of the world's two largest democracies that would expand commercial ties and check the influence of an increasingly assertive China," New York Times said.

The Los Angeles Times reported "the endorsement, though of little practical value at the moment, is aimed at boosting relations with India, and is a signal of the administration's vision of Asia at a time when China's influence is growing."

Acknowledging former President George Bush's trip for the civil nuclear deal, Blake asserted New Delhi and Washington were entering into a "more mature" relationship following Obama's visit.
"It will mark the first time that we have real embarked on serious specific global cooperation," Blake said, ticking off several areas such as agriculture, cooperation in Afghanistan, women's development and maritime cooperation.
"This is really a global strategic partnership now and we've started to put the flesh on that in very concrete ways," he added.