OPINION: New Delhi’s foreign policy is fiercely independent

India is close both to Russia and the US. But it conducts its China policy independent of either. The way our Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hosted his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu during the recent SCO summit is a case in point.

One of the apprehensions being voiced in certain sections of the contemporary international public opinion goes that India's foreign policy has, in the recent years, ceased to be independent. Some observers fear India has been too close to Russia to be friendly to the United States. Others assert New Delhi has virtually ganged up with Washington by forging better ties with it and sharing the Quadrilateral Dialogue (QUAD) forum, of which the US is a key member.

Impartial observers, however, say there is absolutely no substance in any of such apprehensions. New Delhi's foreign policy is fiercely independent. As in the past, India follows its own national interest and is not under pressure from any foreign power. The way our Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hosted the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' summit in the national capital last week is a case in point.

Russia has been a time-tested friend of India since long. India today is one of the biggest importers of defence equipment from Russia. It has bought nearly half its military supplies fighter jets, tanks, nuclear submarines and an aircraft carrier over the decades. In the wake of Russia's military action in Ukraine in February last year, New Delhi did not condemn Moscow; it just called for a diplomatic solution to the conflict. India has also bought Russian oil even though the US and its allies have attempted to isolate Moscow on the issue.

During their bilateral talks on the sidelines of the SCO summit, Singh and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu agreed to boost their defence ties. They discussed "wide-ranging issues of bilateral defence cooperation, including military-to-military ties as well as industrial partnership." They also "discussed the Russian defence industry's participation in the 'Make in India' initiative and ways to provide further impetus to it."

But India does not follow Russia in its dealing with China. Presently, there is close cooperation between the Russian and Chinese armed forces. They regularly exchange information, cooperate on the military-technology front, as well as conduct joint exercises in the Far East region and in Europe. Recently, the Russian Pacific Fleet was in a massive naval drill with the Chinese. The drill involved sealing off parts of the Sea of Japan. It was focused on responding to a possible attack on a handful of Russian-controlled islands in the area, islands that are also claimed by Japan.

During his recent visit to Moscow, Russia gave Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu a high-profile welcome. According to reports, in Moscow, Li had talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Li's itinerary was expected to include discussions only with his Russian counterpart Shoigu and some Russian military academies.

In his meeting with Chinese counterpart Li during the SCO summit, the Defence Minister did not extend to him the kind of bonhomie Moscow recently did to him. He did not even handshake with Li. The reasons for his lack of warmth are not far to seek.

Only a few days earlier, India and China held 18th round of Corps Commander-level talks to resolve border standoff in the eastern Ladakh area. They did not do enough for the de-escalation of the current tension between India and China.

India's foreign policy does not follow the United States either. In his decision to meet his Chinese counterpart Li, Defence Minister Singh did not seem to have cared to go by the wishes of the US administration. General Li has long been an eye sore to Washington D.C. The US Department of Defence's 2022 China Military Report described Gen Li as the general officer who offers "technical expertise on military modernisation on space issues" to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In September 2018, then US President Donald J. Trump issued an Executive Order for the implementation of certain sanctions in the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017 (CAATSA) with respect to the Russian Federation. In pursuant to this order, then US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo imposed sanctions also on the Chinese entity Equipment Development Department (EDD) and its director Li Shangfu.

The US State Department identified the EDD and Shangfu as being engaged in transactions with Russia. It concluded that these transactions involved Russia's transfer to China of Su-35 combat aircraft in 2017 and S-400 surface-to-air missile system-related equipment in 2018.

The US administration is not happy with Li in the latter's present capacity either. The other day, some leaked US government documents said that China approved the provision of lethal aid to Russia for its war in Ukraine.

(Jagdish N. Singh is a senior journalist based in New Delhi. He is also Senior Distinguished Fellow at the Gatestone Institute, New York)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of OneIndia and OneIndia does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.