India is one of emerging economic countries that have refused to condemn Russia’s military operation in Ukraine as an invasion and has also refused to follow US and its allies to impose sanctions on Russia which hasn’t gone well with officials in US.
The Joe Biden administration has tried everything to persuade India to join the west on imposing sanctions on Russia but India still refused to apply sanctions and condemn Russia’s military operation in Ukraine as an invasion even in quad meetings.
So with fears that India may be slipping from their hands towards Russia and China as rumours of Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi visiting India next week started circulating, US urged Japan to help persuade India to come back in class and support US led order.
India is in dispute with China on political, land boundary and economic issues but the problem is that India considers China’s threat a short term threat hoping that relations with China will get back on track once India becomes both economically and militarily powerful which is in contrast to US thinking of containing China all togather.
Prime minister Kishida said Japan will invest 42 billion dollars in India mostly in infrastructure over the next five years as he hoped to strengthen both economic and military ties between Japan and India.
In 2014, when then Japan prime minister Shinzo Abe visited India, he announced 3.5 trillion yen in investments and financing over five years in infrastructure development like high speed rail.
India’s trade volume with Japan in 2021 was 126 billion yen and Japan imported from India goods worth 68 yen and India imported goods from Japan worth 10.6 billion dollars in 2020. Japan is the 12th largest trading partner of India and both have signed a trade partnership agreement.
While in India, Japanese prime minister Kishida said ” since the Russian invasion of Ukraine coincides with this trap, I would like to emphasize the importance of international unity and confirm that Japan and India will work togather on various issues”, Kishida said.
Japan has imposed sanctions on dozens of Russian individuals and organisations since the invasion of Ukraine on February 24 and has started receiving Ukraine refugees according media reports but India which is also one of 4 members of quad has refused to follow suit, not even condemning Russia military operation in Ukraine as invasion.
The meeting between Kishida and Modi has provided them a chance talk and exchange views about important International and regional issues mutual interests since both are members of quad. Quad is a grouping consisting of US, Australia, Japan and India and was put forward as means to contain the economic rise of China even though it denies it.
India takes Japan to be a key strategic partner in Indo Pacific region and both have territorial dispute with China. They both hope to improve ties and guard against China and are making plans to counter China’s economic might in the region.
