Rise of China, its assertiveness in Indo-Pacific region shaped Indo-US relationship: former Foreign Secretary

India-U.S. relations shaped by China's assertiveness in Indo-Pacific region: Former Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao. India's role in world changing, esp. in providing vaccines to developing nations. India has credentials to become UNSC permanent member, but needs consensus.

The rise of China, and its assertiveness, especially in the Indo-Pacific region, has shaped the relationship between India and the U.S. in various sectors such as technology, manufacturing, defence and environment, former Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said on Wednesday.

Speaking on ‘India’s place in the changing world’ at the Luminary Lecture Series organised by the Christian Medical College (CMC), Ms. Rao said that areas between the eastern coast of Africa and western coast of the U.S., referred to as the Indo-Pacific region, were where many countries, including India and the U.S., had high stakes. Unlike what was the case two decades ago, China had been more assertive in the region in recent years, she said. “Be it on the land or in the maritime sector, China seeks sovereign rights in some of the disputed areas, including islands in the region (Indo-Pacific region), and that affects east and southeast Asian countries. The collaboration between India and the U.S. in various fields is also based on China’s assertiveness,” she said.

China’s assertiveness had made it difficult to resolve the border dispute between India and China. This was evident after the skirmishes at Galwan Valley in Ladakh in June 2020, where the two armies fought and lost lives. The consequence of it was that the edifice of confidence of both countries had collapsed, she said. “Despite improving trade relations between the two countries from $3 billion in 2003 to $118 billion in 2023, the inbuilt weakness of the two countries has remained. As a result, only a small quotient of mutual trust exists between the two countries,” the former diplomat said.

Supporting the stand taken by India on its right to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the seasoned diplomat said India had the credentials to make a claim for a permanent seat at the UNSC for various reasons, including the fact that India was the largest democracy with a young population; and it was also the fifth largest economy in the world with a target of becoming a $5 trillion economy by 2025 and a developed nation by 2047. “Many of our friends and partners like the U.S. acknowledge it. We are the voice of the developing nations. However, there is a lot of ground to be covered to achieve it, as there is no consensus for the expansion of UNSC,” she said.

Ms. Rao said India’s role in the world was changing, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, as the country was able to provide vaccines to many developing countries in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean at a low cost. The ‘vaccine diplomacy’ by India had saved millions of lives during the pandemic in these countries. It had helped change the view of India among developing nations, she said. “They (developing countries, especially in Africa and Latin America) started to believe in the work done by India during the pandemic. It was an independent role played by India than its usual non-aligned one,” she said.

Vikram Mathews, Director, CMC, faculty members and students of CMC from various campuses were present.