A Slew Of Setbacks For India In The Neighbourhood

Jaideep Mazumdar, swarajyamag.com

Image from article, with caption: Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, shakes hands with K P Sharma Oli inside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Snapshot

• New Delhi has to completely change its outlook and approach towards its neighbours and start wooing them aggressively if it is to avoid the peril of being reduced to a bit player in its own neighbourhood.

Excerpt:

Beijing has aggressively stepped up its efforts to gain influence over Bhutan. Since Bhutan cannot directly establish ties with any country as per the terms of a friendship treaty with India – this is becoming a sore point with Bhutan’s increasingly assertive younger population – China has been deepening its public diplomacy with the Himalayan kingdom. China is spending millions of dollars in organising conducted tours for students, scholars, college and university teachers, youths, young professionals, government officials and politicians from Bhutan. It is thus building up a growing and powerful constituency of young people favourably disposed towards China and who are in awe of China’s economic and military might.

India has been parsimonious on this count, choosing instead to strengthen its military presence in Bhutan. India’s military presence in Bhutan is also being viewed with increasing unease by the younger lot of Bhutanese. The Indian foreign policy establishment needs to realise that investing in public projects and projecting the country’s soft power should be priority areas. India also needs to start wooing Bhutan’s growing younger population and counter China’s influence over them. A lot of tact and imagination is required in this, and India’s diplomats have been sadly lacking in both these traits. ...

New Delhi has to completely change its outlook and approach towards its neighbours and start wooing them aggressively if it is to avoid the peril of being reduced to a bit player in its own neighbourhood. Apart from structural changes, India’s diplomatic establishment also needs to be infused with fresh vigour and ideas.