Modi's Religion Diplomacy spreads wings in Vietnam

In sync with PM Narendra Modi government’s religion diplomacy, which plays a pivotal role in its foreign policy, India has offered help to Vietnam to restore a Hindu temple in the country belonging to the Champ civilisation.

The diplomacy comes at a time when Modi is visiting Vietnam capital Hanoi. The Myson temple has a striking resemblance to Indian temples built during the same period.

Former Ambassador to Vietnam and present Secretary East in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Preeti Saran said: “The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has already surveyed the temple located in the Quang Nam Province and would take care of the reconstruction work.” The project has an added significance as the present PM Tran Dai Quang hails from the same province and there is an “emotional commitment”. India’s efforts to project itself as a champion of Hindu culture and Buddhist heritage are aimed at contesting China’s projection of Buddhist heritage.

A “resurgence” of Buddhism has been experienced in the South East Asian country and India has lapped up the opportunity by training Buddhist monks and scholars in the country that has been involved in a simmering imbroglio with China over the South China Sea. New Delhi has been augmenting its religious soft power and has been stressing on its Buddhist cultural ties with Mongolia, Nepal, Japan, South Korea, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. Modi’s cultural bonanza during his Hanoi visit has similarity to his religion diplomacy during his Nepal visit last year.

Modi had offered 2,500 kg sandalwood and 2,400 kg ghee at the Pashupatinath Temple; and had announced Rs. 25 crore for construction of lodging facilities in the temple complex. However, experts point out that such a donation to the Hindu temple had overshadowed India’s efforts to restore Nepal’s Buddhist sites.

The mixing of religion and diplomacy has its own perils as the mixing of religion and politics and it is reflected in Pakistan playing the Islamic card at international level. Despite its projection of itself as the keeper of the Islamic heritage, it has not been able to become leader of the Islamic countries, even as the mixing of religion with foreign policy and politics has boomeranged in the form of radicalism and extremism.

(The report was published on 4th September, 2016 in The Sunday Standard Modi's Religion Diplomacy spreads wings in Vietnam )

Road to Vietnam to be reality soon

Dreaming of a road trip to Vietnam via Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos? It might become a reality in the near future.

Against the backdrop of Beijing flexing its muscles after the South China Sea verdict, India is seeking to increase its last-mile connectivity to southeast Asia by extending the trilateral highway, planned by the six-member Mekong–Ganga Cooperation (MGC) group, to Vietnam via Cambodia and Laos. Earlier, the highway was to stop at Thailand.

“The Ministers welcomed the consultation between ASEAN Connectivity Coordination Committee and India and agreed to discuss the extension of the Trilateral Highway through Cambodia, Lao PDR and the new highway to Vietnam,” the MGC member countries — India, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam —- said in a joint statement.

The highway would be pivotal to the Mekong-India Economic Corridor passing through the fertile river basins of the Brahmaputra and the Mekong.

The decision to construct the 1,360-km India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway was taken in 2004 at an estimated cost of $700 million. However, the project faced economic and political hurdles. The project gained some traction last year as the India-Myanmar-Thailand Motor Vehicle Agreement was signed. Presently, trade with Myanmar and Thailand is via sea and industry estimates see it growing to $100 billion in the next five years.

Amid the increasing Chinese influence in the region, the trans-Asian railway project under the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) to create an integrated freight railway across Europe and Asia has been already agreed upon by 17 countries.The Trilateral Highway would bring the land-locked Northeast of India closer to the mainland by increasing the connectivity with South East Asia and the ease of doing business. India has already built 160 km of this highway and invited a tender for upgrading bridges and roads.

New Alignments, not non-alignment for Indian foreign policy

New Delhi, September 6: The new alignment in India’s engagement with the World will get an evident twist this month as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while giving the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) Summit a miss; will be cementing New Delhi’s ties with the South East Asian countries as he head to second country in the region in a week. 

After making a pit stop at Vietnam enroute to G-20 summit in the Eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, will be embarking on a visit to Lao PDR on September 7th where he will be attending the 14th ASEAN-India Summit and the 11th East Asia Summit.

“This will be the third ASEAN (The Association of the Southeast Asian Nations) Summit to be attended by Prime Minister Modi. ASEAN is central to India’s Act East policy,” Secretary East Preeti Saran said while elaborating on the importance of the event.

The renewed diplomatic focus on the Mekong sub-region (comprising of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam) stems from the fact that it links the Bay of Bengal with the South China Sea through land. The South China Sea is pivotal to Indian interests as 50 percent of its trade passes through its sea lanes. The Mekong sub-region, thus, has become an area of geopolitical rivalry between India and China. 

The Prime Minister will also attend the East Asia Summit of which it has been one of the co-founders. Connectivity and trade will be high on agenda.

The Laos visit will means that the Prime Minister has traveled to all the countries in the Mekong sub-region, barring Cambodia. The region has taken a centre-stage in India’s foreign policy as evident by the Prime Minister’s whirlwind tours to the countries – he reached Hanoi on night of September 2^nd and left for Hangzhou on September 3rd evening. He returned to India on September 5^th evening and shall be reaching Laos on September 7^th.

The visits have been highlighted as the Prime Minister will not be attending the NAM Summit in a departure from the tradition of Indian Prime Ministers attending the event. Top diplomats have been talking about how G-20 is a better representative of the present day world over without explicitly denouncing the relevance of NAM, founded during the Cold War era.

The South Block mandarins have been trying to downplay the turn of events citing Prime Minister Modi’s chock-o-block itinerary for foreign visits. But the subtle signal does indicate a major shift the way India will be conducting its diplomacy.