COMPREHENSIVE AND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP INDIA AND VIETNAM
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) poses for a photo with his
Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the Government office in
1) History
As a result of historical understanding, India and Vietnam have had cordial relations with each other. Exchange of bilateral visits have been a common feature of this relationship since the leaders of both countries- Jawaharlal Nehru and Ho Chi Minh exchanged visits in the 1950s. The two countries’ diplomatic connections were established in 1972, which helped to solidify the friendship.
India-Vietnam relations gained positive dynamism in the year 2007 as the Joint Declaration on forming a strategic partnership between the two countries was signed. It sought to “diversify and deepen the relationship between India and Vietnam in a rapidly changing environment”
- E. Mr. Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, invited the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, H.E. Mr. Narendra Modi, to pay an official visit to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam from September 02 to 03, 2016.
Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, meeting the President of Vietnam, Mr Tran Dai Quang,
in Hanoi, Vietnam on September 03, 2016 (Source: Press Information Bureau, Government of India)
2) Introduction
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given a formal greeting on September 3, 2016. Following that, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc held bilateral meetings. Following that, the two Prime Ministers witnessed bilateral documents being signed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met H.E. Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of Vietnam Communist Party, Mr. Tran Dai Quang, President of Vietnam, and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, Chairperson of the National Assembly of Vietnam.
When Prime Minister Modi and his counterpart, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, met in September 2016, they upgraded their relationship to a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,’ signalling India’s serious and calculated push to strengthen ties with one of its most important Southeast Asian partners.
The leaders had agreed to increase the exchange of high-level and other visits, boost relations between political parties and legislative institutions of both sides and strengthen established bilateral cooperation mechanisms, together with successfully imposing the agreements signed among countries.
3) Highlights
The nations signed 12 agreements in a huge variety of regions protecting IT, space, double taxation and sharing white delivery information. The Plan of Action to realize the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in all directions includes collaboration in major sectorial areas.
The Prime Ministers agreed to assign the 2 Ministries of Foreign Affairs to be the focal points, in collaboration with different ministries and organizations of each sides, to construct the Plan of Action to convey the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to truth in all regions of cooperation.
This report delineates recent trends in India’s relations with Vietnam with a focus on key factors driving this bilateral engagement. It argues that, spurred through underlying structural adjustments
and robust dedication of political management with inside the countries, India-Vietnam ties are in all likelihood to develop more potent with inside the coming years.
4) PILLARS OF BILATERAL PARTNERSHIP
4.1) Evolving Strategic Realities
One of the maximum extensive drivers of the deepening strategic partnership among India and Vietnam is their shared apprehension of an competitive China, whose developing assertiveness is pondered with inside the build-up of guns systems, consisting of anti-plane and anti-missile systems, at the synthetic islands it has built with inside the South China Sea. In Vietnam, China’s growing assertiveness is a matter of direct security concern, while India has been closely scrutinizing China’s maritime expansion into the Indian Ocean Region. India is also bearing the brunt of a rising China, whose expansionary policy most recently manifested in a 73-day standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries at the Doklam Plateau near the India-Bhutan-China tri junction. In response, India in recent times has been actively attempting to engage with regional states sharing similar perceptions about China. China has been objecting to India’s initiatives, claiming that the territory comes beneath Neath its sovereignty. India keeps to hold that those exploration initiatives with inside the place are in simple terms commercial, while China perspectives such sports as an trouble of sovereign rights. India’s actions have unsettled China, and eyes its developing engagement in East and Southeast Asia with suspicion.
China has been objecting to India’s projects, claiming that the territory comes under its sovereignty. India continues to maintain that these exploration projects in the region are purely commercial, whereas China views such activities as an issue of sovereign rights. India’s moves have unsettled China, and eyes its growing engagement in East and Southeast Asia with suspicion.
4.2) Defense Cooperation
Defense cooperation is the second pillar of this bilateral partnership. India and Vietnam signed a formal Defense Protocol in 2000 which encompassed the sale of military helicopters, equipment for repair of Vietnamese aircraft, and training initiatives for Vietnam’s military personnel. After
this, certain areas of cooperation have become the norm. These include “everyday alternate of intelligence, joint coastguard education to fight piracy, jungle battle and counterinsurgency education for the Indian army, restore of Vietnamese aircrafts (sic) and helicopters, education of Vietnamese pilots, and Indian help on small and medium hands production.
4.3) Trade and Other Areas
Along with defence and strategic ties, India has tried to enhance financial members of the family with Vietnam. Modi’s policy navigation from “Look East” to “Act East”, which essentially aims to strengthen ties with the extended neighbourhood of the Asia Pacific region and to expand ties between India and Vietnam to the level of “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”, makes Vietnam extremely critical in India’s eastward outreach. Vietnam on its part has actively supported the Act East policy as it facilitates India’s larger role in the region. Also, Vietnam is ASEAN’s Coordinator for ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations from 2015 to 2018, which can be utilised to further increase the cooperation. Vietnam on its element has actively supported the Act East coverage because it enables India’s large function with inside the region. They have additionally signed a civil nuclear settlement in 2016, that’s anticipated to similarly increase bilateral exchange among them.
The nations additionally accelerated cooperation in regions consisting of area exploration and cybersecurity. New Delhi and Hanoi signed the Inter-Governmental Framework Agreement for the Exploration of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes, and agreed to conclude the Implementing Arrangement between the Indian Space Research Organisation and the Vietnam Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on the establishment of a Tracking and Data Reception Station and a Data Processing Facility in Vietnam under the India-ASEAN Space Cooperation. A Memorandum of Understanding on cybersecurity was also signed between Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security and India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology; and the two countries also facilitated the transfer of equipment to the Indian-funded Indira Gandhi High-Tech Crime Laboratory. India has also established a satellite tracking facility in Ho Chi Minh City. Although termed a civilian facility, it could provide strategic benefits such as the tracking of Chinese movement in the sea, in case of a threat. It has been planned and implemented by the Indian Space Research Organisation.
5) Following are the Agreements which were signed in the presence of both the Prime Ministers:
(i) Framework Agreement on Cooperation in the Exploration and Uses of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes;
(ii) Protocol for Amending the Agreement on Avoiding Double Taxation;
(iii) Program of Cooperation in UN Peacekeeping Matters;
(iv) Protocol between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam and the Ministry of External Affairs of India on Celebrating 2017 as the “Year of Friendship”;
(v) MOU on Health Cooperation;
(vi) MOU on Cooperation in Information Technology;
(vii) MOU on Cooperation between the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences and the Indian Council of World Affairs;
(viii) MOU on cooperation in Cyber Security;
(ix) MOU between the Bureau of Indian Standards and Directorate for Standard, Metrology and Quality for Cooperation in the Fields of Standardization and Conformity Assessment;
(x) MOU on Establishment of the Centre of Excellence in Software Development and Training; (xi) Technical Agreement on Sharing of White Shipping Information;
(xii) Contract for Offshore High-speed Patrol Boats;.
6) Current Situation
Vietnam has a new Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and he is expected to continue implementing independent, self-reliance foreign policy, which attaches the importance to and strengthening Strategic Comprehensive Partnership (CSP) with India. Year 2021 marks 5th anniversary of CSP and in 2022 the 2 international locations rejoice 50 years of introduction of diplomatic ties. Top management of India has already despatched congratulatory messages to new PM and management of Vietnam.
The virtual summit held in December 2020 PM Narendra Modi had stated that Vietnam is an crucial pillar of India’s Act East coverage and plays great role in Indo-Pacific Vision. On that event the 2 aspects signed seven pacts throughout key sectors inclusive of defence and power and launched a joint imaginative and prescient for peace and prosperity eyeing to make a contribution to the South China Sea region’s stability.
At the summit India and Vietnam launched a joint imaginative and prescient record and a course of action for bilateral engagements in the course of 2021-23. The importance of India-Vietnam cooperation has accelerated with each international locations turning into individuals of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
India is now the eighth biggest buying and selling companion of Vietnam. On the other hand, Vietnam is the 4th largest trading partner of India among ASEAN countries after Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. Vietnam is the 8th largest destination of India’s exports globally. Vietnam is likewise the second biggest export place for India after Singapore with inside the ASEAN region. India’s Investments in Vietnam India’s investments in Vietnam are estimated at around US$ 1.7 billion including investments routed through third countries.
At the summit India and Vietnam launched a joint imaginative and prescient report and a course of action for bilateral engagements at some stage in 2021-23. The significance of India-Vietnam cooperation has increased with both the countries becoming members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
India’s Investments in Vietnam India’s investments in Vietnam are estimated at around US$ 1.7 billion including investments routed through third countries. According to Vietnam’s Foreign Investment Agency, as of 2019, India has 255 valid projects with total invested capital of US$922.34 million. Major sectors of funding are energy, mineral exploration, agro-processing, sugar, tea, espresso manufacturing, agro-chemicals, IT and vehicle mobile components.
7) Plan of Action:
Delivering his first speech after his swearing-in ceremony Chinh stressed the need to build an action plan to translate the Resolution adopted at the 13th National Party Congress into reality, with a focus on the following tasks:
(i) Improving the socialist-oriented market economy institutions, mechanisms, and policies; innovate growth model and restructure the economy Decentralization of strength might be similarly bolstered even as obligation of groups and people might be clarified to sell autonomy and creativity of all degrees and sectors.
(ii) Continue stepping up the building of a law-governed State, uphold the rule-of-law spirit, strengthen discipline in the State apparatus and the whole society; actively prevent and consistently and perseveringly fight corruption and wastefulness through adoption of strong mechanisms and solutions; promulgate mechanisms to encourage and protect those who dare to think, dare to do and dare to take responsibility for common benefits;
(iii) Mobilize and effectively use all resources in favor of national development; foster strategic infrastructure development; attach importance to national digital transformation and digital economy based on science and technology development; create more favorable environment and conditions conducive to businesses; stay active and introduce effective solutions to overcome negative impacts of national calamities,
climate change, environmental pollution, and epidemics, especially the COVID-19 pandemic;
(iv) Resolutely and perseveringly safeguard national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity; making Viet Nam a responsible and trusted member of the international community.
Over the last few years Vietnam has carried out strategic breakthroughs, especially those in completing the socialist-oriented market economic institutions, while making efforts to deal with difficulties through a lot of measures, including investing in increasing the quality of human resources, generating jobs for nearly 8 million labourers and putting people at the centre of innovation.
8) Conclusion:
- In the 21st century, India and Vietnam have been poised together to strengthen relations. With the changing geopolitical developments that have come to characterize the present order of international politics, both countries are in the process of redefining their strategic positions towards each other.
- They are influential actors in Asia and as such, both of them share common political and security interests. India – Vietnam relationship is one of the perfect examples of a deep rooted and sustainable relationship between two countries sharing many common historical and cultural characteristics.
- Recent bilateral accomplishments have no doubt been made in the right direction but the bottlenecks in the sectorial cooperation need to be overcome to bring maximum gains out of the collaboration.
- The untapped potential in the bilateral relationship needs to be realised by putting focus on a future plan of action which includes cooperation in areas like maritime cooperation, tourism and connectivity, facilitating the realization of the RCEP Agreement, promoting private sector engagement, investment and finance with focus on SMEs, strengthening development partnerships, encouraging higher competitiveness and innovation, sharing resources and knowledge and strengthening regional security infrastructure.
- Vietnam is a country of great importance in Southeast Asia. There is no doubt that India Vietnam relationship has shown considerable and durable staying power and has the potential to contribute to building regional stability.
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Written by Dr. Ashish Gupta