The Dawn

• “…there seems to be a parting of the ways at the strategic level." Stephen Cohen commenting on India-US relations
• One Indian daily has opined that America is crtically dependent on China’s goodwill and that America is a huge debtor nation of China.
• Meanwhile, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Robert Blake also recognized China’s role in forging security and stability in South Asia, both in Pakistan-India and Pakistan-Afghanistan perspectives.
• “China has a very important role to play —- like many other countries we are consulting them – it is important to get views of China on this very very important question. We value their advice.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Robert Blake is trying to smooth India, Chinese and Pakistani feathers. India is concerned about US-China and US-Pakistani relations, China about US-Indian relations and Pakistan about US-Indian relations.

U.S tried its level best to appease the new dispensation of Tokyo by reengaging Japan in different perspectives and dimensions, so that differences of the past remain the matter of past. U.S desires to be the most important ally in the region. At the same time, the President Barack Obama faces challenges because there is a new government in Japan, which stood for a lot of things in opposition of the government in the proceeding 50 plus years. And so the President has to walk a fine line between providing counseling, giving time to the Japanese side to work its way through differences , and at the same time lay down markers about things that are too important to be left to political expediency in our alliance. U.S will require resorting to all kinds of positive steps to set the house in order regarding the Japan’s affair. dayafterindia

BEIJING: A Foreign Ministry official said on Thursday China would only “support” relevant moves to improve peace and stability in South Asia, and indicated the country did not see seek to play a primary role in improving relations between India and Pakistan.

A joint statement issued by China and the United States on Tuesday surprised officials and strategic experts in New Delhi by including a brief reference to improving relations between India and Pakistan.

Some analysts read the reference as the U.S. encouraging a greater Chinese role in South Asia. The Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi said in a statement on Wednesday that a “third country role cannot be envisaged” and was not necessary. The Hindu

The declarations from Beijing caused severe consternation in Delhi.

When US President Barack Obama beamed in Beijing, the Chinese managed tight-lipped smiles. When he spoke haltingly with none of his usual confidence, about Tibet, Iran or the Chinese currency, they ignored him, served chicken soup with bean curd and sent him to climb the Great Wall.

Even before Obama made his first and conciliatory China visit urging the ‘strong and prosperous’ communist nation (and the US’ biggest creditor) to execute its ‘responsibility’ of a global role, the definition of that role was being debated in Beijing.

“Not all of America’s problems are automatically China’s problems,’’ Shen Dingli, executive dean of the Institute of International Relations of the elite Fudan University in Shanghai, told HT this week.

“We follow when the US is right and we refuse to follow when the US is wrong. We will expand our global role but not because the US wants us to expand but because we need to do it anyway.’’

In the rare US-China joint statement released after Obama’s summit with his counterpart Hu Jintao, Beijing made it clear that India-Pakistan bilateral relations are now officially its problem. Hindustan Times

(November 19, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) The failure of President Barack Obama to understand the distrust of China in large sections of the Indian civil society has landed the US in a situation in which the considerable goodwill between India and the US created during the administration of his predecessor George Bush stands in danger of being diluted by his unthinking words and actions.

The distrust of China in the Indian civil society is much deeper than even the distrust of Pakistan. Even today, despite Pakistan’s continued use of terrorism against India, there is some goodwill for the people of Pakistan in many sections of the Indian civil society. As against this, outside the traditional communist and other leftist circles, one would hardly find any section which trusts China —its Government as well as its people.

The Indian distrust of China arises mainly from three factors. First, the Sino-Indian war of 1962. Second, China’s role in giving Pakistan a military nuclear and missile capability for use against India. Third, the Chinese blockage of the pre 26/11 efforts in the sanctions committee of the UN Security Council to declare the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JUD), the parent organisation of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LET), as a terrorist organisation and its subsequent opposition for a similar declaration against the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JED).

The dubious Chinese stand on the issue of Pakistani use of terrorism against India is viewed by many in India as amounting to collusion.Sri Lanka Guardian

Mr. Blake tried to clam down tempers in Delhi.

(RTTNews) – Robert Blake, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, has said that there is no need for India to be concerned over the reference to the Indo-Pak ties in a U.S.-China joint statement, asserting that U.S. has an equally important relationship with New Delhi as that with Beijing.

"I don’t think there needs to be any concern in India about what the president said in China. We have very important relations with China. But we have equally important relations with India," Blake, told reporters at a news briefing in Washington.

He said that this will come out very clearly during the course of the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit beginning Monday.
Blake’s remarks came a day after New Delhi slammed the reference to India and Pakistan in the joint U.S.-China statement saying it did not envisage a role by a third party in what was essentially a bilateral dispute.

Welcoming China’s interest in helping to stabilize the Af-Pak region, Blake further said the Obama Administration believes that Beijing has high stakes, particularly in Afghanistan, where they have very significant investments.

"As with most of the other countries in the world, we welcome China’s participation in helping to stabilize that very important part of the region," he said.

Bharat is worried about US relations with China and Pakistan. Delhi was very perturbed by the joint US-Chinese statement which apparently encouraged China to play mediation between Islamabad and Delhi.

New Delhi has not been that happy over the reference of Indian-Pak Dialogues and Tibet. “Barack Hussain Obama’s reference of Tibet and ‘One-China policy’ was in a usual fashion of the policy matter in the region. It can not be seen as a great diplomatic matter. So, it’s a part of the general statement,” said Alkacaharya expert of Chinese affairs. dayafterindia

Now, the reality of an activist US role in Afghanistan and Pakistan leaves little room for any pious sentiment that South Asian

peace should be left to South Asians. However, does the US need to make China also a partner to promote peace in the region and support “the improvement and growth of relations between India and Pakistan”? Times of India

South block officials say India-US ties have come of age and will not go back to the days when Bill Clinton came to India in March 2000;dna India

Delhi has its worries about Washington. It was furious at allowing Beijing a role in Indian-Pakistani relations, something which China sees as its problem.

New Delhi: After the sharp and strict reaction of New Delhi over Obama’s endorsement of a Chinese role in South Asia, Washington is now trying to pacify new Delhi. Latest news Online

China has a role in South Asia. Obama’s  acknowledgement of that role is acceptance of a fact. The Chinese view the Delhi “anger” with amusement.

According to them, President Obama will have to satisfy Dr. Singh during a private briefing on his China visit that his public posturing viz-a-viz China’s perceived role in South Asia should not be taken as interference in India or Pakistan’s internal affairs.

 
On his part, Dr. Singh will have to assess the direction of President Obama’s roadmap for South Asia. He will have to determine whether Obama intends to approve and support China’s role in the region through proxy.

One Indian daily has opined that America is crtically dependent on China’s goodwill and that America is a huge debtor nation of China. It further suggests that most US presidents in the latter half of the 20th century and at the start of the 21st century have been hobbled by China during their first terms, and compromised through scandal in their second terms. Beijing News

Anwar Iqbal’s incompetent reporting on Mr. Blake’s statement was ridiculous and did not paint the entire picture correctly. There is more consternation in Delhi about America’s close relationship with Beijing and Islamabad The Dawn story by Anwar Iqbal paints a bad picture for US-Pakistani relations. the APP report is a bit more balanced

Meanwhile, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Robert Blake also recognized China’s role in forging security and stability in South Asia, both in Pakistan-India and Pakistan-Afghanistan perspectives.

“China has a very important role to play —- like many other countries we are consulting them – it is important to get views of China on this very very important question. We value their advice.  China have also important stakes in stability of Afghanistan. So it is only natural we will consult them,” he said.

He spoke a day after after U.S. and China recognized in a joint statmenet – during President Barack Obama’s visit to Beijing – that China had an important role in helping imrprove relations between Pakistan and India.

“Both. We want to get their (Chinese) views on both of them,” Blake replied, when asked to clarify if the U.S. wanted to have Chinese role in promoting peace and stability in Pakistan-Afghanistan region or on Pakistan-India front or both.

New Delhi has bristled at suggestions that Beijing should play an important role toward promotion of peace and stability between Pakistan and India. APP

The US is walking a tight rope in Asia.

WASHINGTON, Nov 19 (APP): Asserting U.S. interest in peace and stability in South Asia, a senior American diplomat has said Washington is supportive of resolution of disputes between India and Pakistan through dialogue.Separately, a senior U.S. diplomat also renewed Washington’s belief that it would listen to China’s views on promoting peace between Pakistan and India.“Of course, we all share an interest in stability and peace between India and Pakistan. We all know the stakes,” Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns said, speaking at a think-tank, days ahead of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Washington from November 22 to 26.

“America has always supported the two countries’ peace process and the resolution of outstanding disputes through dialogue,” he stated, reaffirming the U.S. policy to back negotiated settlement of issues between the two nations.

However, Burns said, “the pace, scope, and content of the peace process is for Indian and Pakistani leaders to decide.”

“But we have welcomed renewed engagement, including this past summer between Prime Ministers Singh and (Yousaf Raza) Gilani, and between Prime Minister Singh and President (Asif Ali) Zardari.” APP

I don’t think Islamabad should feel threatened by the steps we are taking to improve our relations with India: Robert Blake. — Photo by AP

WASHINGTON: The United States assured Pakistan on Wednesday that it had nothing to fear from growing US-India relations because Washington also valued its ties with Islamabad.

At a briefing in Washington, Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs Robert Blake also addressed India’s concern over a joint US-China statement issued in Beijing on Tuesday which recognised China’s role in improving India-Pakistan relations. The statement also urged China to help prevent Pakistan or Afghanistan from becoming a base for terrorism.

While insisting that the United States wanted India and Pakistan to resolve their differences bilaterally, the US official acknowledged that Washington would like to get China’s views on both ‘Indo-Pak relations and on Afghanistan and solicit their advice on both as we do of India’s’.

Mr Blake noted that China had considerable ‘equities’ in Afghanistan and could play an important role in stabilising that country as well. The Dawn

Beijing, Tehran, Caracus, Islamabad, Colombo, Dhaka, and Khatmandu will surely be looking at the US antics on how Bharat is being built up as a counter weight to China—none fear the US-Indian tango, but all detest, abhor and dislike the manner in which this is being conducted

Asked how should Islamabad view Mr Singh’s forthcoming visit to the US during which the two countries are expected to announce initiatives aimed at recognising India as an emerging world power, the US official said: ‘I don’t think Islamabad should in any way feel threatened by the steps we are taking to improve our relations with India. We value our relationships with both India and Pakistan.’

At a specially arranged briefing for South Asian journalists at Washington’s Foreign Press Centre on Mr Singh’s visit, Mr Blake noted that Pakistan had moved away some troops from the Indian border to combat militants on the western border but said there was ‘room for more’.

Although Mr Blake praised Pakistan’s efforts to combat the extremists, particularly in Swat and South Waziristan, he urged Pakistani authorities to complete their investigations against the suspects of the Mumbai terror attacks and punish those responsible.

All Pakistanis wonder why Mr. Blake forgot to mention the incidents of Bharati inspired terror against Pakistan. Lots of voices for Mumbai, none for the Kashmiris, Palestinians, and the displaced Iraqis.

Mr Blake noted that Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed was already sanctioned by both India and Pakistan and urged Islamabad to take action against him.

He said that Pakistan clearly intended to tackle these violent terrorists and had already made ‘a lot of progress’ but urged Pakistan to ensure that its territory was not used for cross-border attacks against India or others.

Mr Blake said that while the United States appreciated Pakistan’s efforts to fight extremists, it hoped that Islamabad would also take action against those who were considered a threat to India and the US.

Pakistan, he said, should also expand its operations beyond Swat and South Waziristan and go to other areas as well.

Mr Singh arrives in Washington on Nov 22 on a two-day state visit although he will spend five days in the US capital. Pakistan urged not to fear Indo-US ties By Anwar Iqbal Thursday, 19 Nov, 2009

Stephen Cohen describes a parting of US-Indian relations at the strategic level

Bush elevated relations with a 2008 civilian nuclear deal that ended an embargo imposed in 1974 after New Delhi tested a nuclear bomb. Bilateral trade went from $5.6 billion in 1990 to about 43 billion in 2008, a 675 percent rise.
But Obama’s early focus on Pakistan to fight the Taliban and emphasis on relations with China irked some in India, which had hoped to build on Bush’s legacy. "In terms of important but second-tier issues — trade, climate change, even defence sales and counter-terrorism — relations are good, and may get better," said Stephen Cohen, a South Asia specialist at the Brookings Institution think tank.

"However, there seems to be a parting of the ways at the strategic level."

U.S. strategy for Afghanistan, focused partly on Pakistan which Washington sees as a necessary ally, has been criticised as ignoring the concerns of regional countries such as India, which competes with Islamabad for influence in Kabul. Reuters

Stephen Cohen is a very pro-Indian analysts. For him to make this big statement is a very

"However, there seems to be a parting of the ways at the strategic level."

poignant.

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