THOUGH Indo-US relations reached a new high after the signing of the civilian nuclear deal between the two when Mr George Bush was the American President, some of Washington DC’s policies have been worrying for New Delhi. Among these is the US plan to shift 60 per cent of its naval assets controlled by the US Pacific Area Command to the Bay of Bengal. The US idea, of course, is basically to counter China, which has a large presence in the area as a result of its agreements with Bangladesh and Myanmar. But the new US strategy does not suit New Delhi as militarisation of the Bay of Bengal will pose a major security threat to India. New Delhi made this point clear to US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta during his two-day visit to India.
India, no doubt, wants to upgrade defence cooperation with the US, but it has to be on an equal term. Though Mr Panetta declared that in the new Asian strategy of the US, “India is a linchpin”, New Delhi cannot feel comfortable with it as India may acquire the image of being part of the US policy to contain China. That is why Defence Minister AK Antony pointed out to his US counterpart the need for the calibration of Washington DC’s strategy vis-à-vis the Bay of Bengal. It is a different matter that countries like the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore are happy with the US strategy to expand its military partnerships and presence “in the arc extending from the Western Pacific and East Asia into the Indian Ocean Region and South Asia”.China’s smaller neighbours have been feeling uneasy because of muscle flexing by Beijing every now and then. China has also been unreasonable in asserting its claim over the entire South China Sea in the wake of the India-Vietnam pact for oil and gas exploration in that area. India was told that it could not indulge in any kind of exploration activity in the South China Sea without China’s consent. But India as a mature nation considers it as a matter between New Delhi and Beijing or between China and Vietnam.
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