MARITIME SILK ROAD, PROJECT MAUSAM and ASIAN INFRA INVESTMENT BANK...

[prohumanity]

I would like to draw attention of DFI members to the rapidly evolving major financial and strategic scenario around India. Seems India is joining BCIM (Bangla Desh -China-India-Myanmar) business corridor and the MARITME silk road with Kolkata included as a port.
China is cooperating with India on including India's "project Mausam" in the scheme of Maritime silk road ,thus, treating India as an equal partner. Soon the border dispute may be solved as both nations are working harmoniously to come to an agreement.
The rush to join Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is indicative of a rising competing model to World bank. India, Russia, Indonesia, Pakistan and other many Asian nations have already joined the Bank and now, England, France, Germany are falling over each other to join the Bank.
Folks, this is a very significant change in global financial order and likely to have a huge impact on world trade. China has already signed with Russia World's largest ever oil deal worth $400 billion with rumors that this pipeline can potential be extended to India in the future.
These changes are happening rapidly and may have serious implications for the hegemonistic current powers and challenge their monopoly over global trade and Geo-politics. P.M. Mr. Modi is going to China for a state visit in May to finalize some major plans.
Would you like to comment on the repercussions of this rapidly evolving scenario and its effect on India's trade and security situation ?

 

[sorcerer]

Re: MARITIME SILK ROAD, PROJECT MAUSAM and ASIAN INFRA INVESTMENT BANK

The project is considered the Modi government's most significant foreign policy initiative designed to counter China. It is inspired by India's historical role as the focal point for trade in the Indian Ocean. In pre-modern times, sailors used seasonal monsoons (mausam, मौसम means weather or season in many South Asian languages) to swiftly journey across the Indian Ocean. This trip usually involved starting from one of the edges of the ocean, around today's Indonesia or east Africa, sailing to India, stopping, and allowing another crew to wait for another monsoon to sail to the other edge of the Indian Ocean, as different monsoon winds blew in different directions at different times of the year. Crews would frequently winter for months in India or at one of the edges of the ocean waiting for another season of monsoons. This allowed for significant cultural exchanges as diverse people from different places would often spend months at a time living in foreign countries (Islam is said to have entered Indonesia in this manner).

Project Mausam would allow India to reestablish its ties with its ancient trade partners and re-establish an "Indian Ocean world" along the littoral of the Indian Ocean. This world would stretch from east Africa, along the Arabian Peninsula, past southern Iran to the major countries of South Asia and thence to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.

According to the Times of India, Indian Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh discussed how to give shape to the project with Culture Secretary Ravindra Singh. The project is supposed to have both a cultural and serious strategic dimension. Perhaps one thing India could consider is seriously developing its Andaman and Nicobar Islands as a security and trade zone. The Economist recently reported on some Indian steps to do just that, which is sensible given the islands' location close to the strategically important Straits of Malacca and Thailand. However, India has yet to reveal actual details on the policies and projects that it intends to pursue to advance Project Mausam.

It is clear that India's government intends to expand its maritime presence, culturally, strategically and psychologically (in order to remind the region why the ocean is called the Indian Ocean). Despite the lack of details, Project Mausam seems like a positive step in that direction and one that will generally be well-received. It is to be hoped, however, that the project is meaningful and does not lack teeth, like many other Indian initiatives of the past. The fact that Narendra Modi's government is initiating Project Mausam, however, at least gives one assurance that the Indian government is not launching another arbitrary and half-hearted initiative.

Project Mausam: India’s Answer to China’s ‘Maritime Silk Road’ | The Diplomat

 

[Srinivas_K]

Re: MARITIME SILK ROAD, PROJECT MAUSAM and ASIAN INFRA INVESTMENT BANK

There is no doubt that India and China has some common interests and various areas to co operate.

But India is not there yet to be treated as equal partner, India is rising and we have to wait until we get muscle to confront any power. Until then balanced diplomacy is the right way.

CCP is unreliable and for balancing it, India is leaning towards west. Do not forget the chinese intrusion when their Xi jingping visited India. When India has the potential to match bigger powers in the near future and there are many friends willing to work together, A confident nation will initiate its own agenda which is acceptable to nations around the world.

India has culture, softpower and rising economy India's mausum and spice routes are the future. India will trade with west and other countries in Asia. Trade through sea is cheaper and India is in advantageous position when geographic position is considered. India also has Andaman Islands to trade with ASEAN.

Regarding silk route, This makes no sense when China is not giving access to its markets. India is looking forward in this regard.

Mausum and Silk route are two different projects launched by two friendly countries for the benefit of trade and economies of nations. India is in advantageous position in the field of manufacturing and China is moving in the direction of consumption economy and also concentrating on high end production.

I would like to draw attention of DFI members to the rapidly evolving major financial and strategic scenario around India. Seems India is joining BCIM (Bangla Desh -China-India-Myanmar) business corridor and the MARITME silk road with Kolkata included as a port.
China is cooperating with India on including India's "project Mausam" in the scheme of Maritime silk road ,thus, treating India as an equal partner. Soon the border dispute may be solved as both nations are working harmoniously to come to an agreement.
The rush to join Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is indicative of a rising competing model to World bank. India, Russia, Indonesia, Pakistan and other many Asian nations have already joined the Bank and now, England, France, Germany are falling over each other to join the Bank.
Folks, this is a very significant change in global financial order and likely to have a huge impact on world trade. China has already signed with Russia World's largest ever oil deal worth $400 billion with rumors that this pipeline can potential be extended to India in the future.
These changes are happening rapidly and may have serious implications for the hegemonistic current powers and challenge their monopoly over global trade and Geo-politics. P.M. Mr. Modi is going to China for a state visit in May to finalize some major plans.
Would you like to comment on the repercussions of this rapidly evolving scenario and its effect on India's trade and security situation ?

 

[prohumanity]

Re: MARITIME SILK ROAD, PROJECT MAUSAM and ASIAN INFRA INVESTMENT BANK

I read that Maritime Silk road and Project Mausam are being tied together. Sujata Singh is an old story. Now, Jaishankar is the one coordinating along with Mrs Sushma Swaraj and India has already agreed to BCIM corridor and almost ready to sign Maritime Silk Road project.
Why should we have the mindset that China is enemy and somehow we need to be paranoid about China's any constructive partnership. Yes, India should do business with its neighbors and the west both. The worst disaster will be if the West succeeds in creating rift and enmity between India and China? Then, the West can rest and enjoy unlimited profits by selling a lot of weapons to India . West is very crafty and would love to divide and conquer. I see that the plan of hundreds of billions of infrastructure investment in Asia region can benfit the entire region and lift billion people out of poverty and suffering. Lets get out of confrontation mode which the West has fed into our brains and think of "win-win partnership with our neighbors.
How many countries China has attacked and invaded in last 20 years and compare it with how many countries west have attacked and invaded during the same timeline? There is a lot of anti-China propaganda in west dominated media. China Bashing has become a fashion in the west because they are afraid of rise of non western civilizations. PM Modi will be on state visit to China and lets watch this patriotic Indian ..how he deals with this proposal. Pilgrim tourist roads are going to opened to Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar VIA Nathula pass in Sikkim. Millions of Indians will visit China each year and millions of Chinese tourists are likely to come to India...boosting tourism industry. I see it as a great opportunity for rise of entire Asian region.
And I want to assure you I love India.

 

[sorcerer]

Re: MARITIME SILK ROAD, PROJECT MAUSAM and ASIAN INFRA INVESTMENT BANK

Can China Woo India to the Maritime Silk Road?
Aware of New Delhi's mistrust, Beijing is trying to link its MSR to India's own Project Mausam.

Last September, as Chinese President Xi Jinping promoted the Maritime Silk Road (MSR) during a tour of Indian Ocean states, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepared to launch India's own plan for maritime integration: Project Mausam. That initiative envisions India as the center of the "Indian Ocean world," which stretches from Africa in the west to Southeast Asia in the east. Like China's Maritime Silk Road, Project Mausam would boost regional commercial and cultural linkages – but where the MSR would have all roads leading back to China, Project Mausam seeks to return India to its role as the center of Indian Ocean trade.

The dueling Indian Ocean plans are a direct sign of India's mistrust of the MSR and of China's Indian Ocean ambitions more generally. To try and assuage those concerns, Beijing is now pushing for a linkage between Project Mausam and the MSR. Chinese Ambassador to India, Le Yucheng, recently said in an interview with The Hindu that Beijing wants to link its MSR and Silk Road Economic Belt projects with New Delhi's Project Mausam. "India is China's natural and significant partner in promoting the 'Belt and Road' initiatives," Le said, noting that India's participation in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is a positive step in this direction. More generally, Le emphasized that "China is also willing to work with India to conduct trilateral cooperation and multilateral cooperation in the [Indian Ocean] region, to achieve win-win cooperation and common development."

As China and India prepare to hold their annual defense dialogue later this week, China's Foreign Ministry re-emphasized the two countries' common interests in the Indian Ocean region. When spokesperson Hua Chunying was asked about Le's comments, she responded that "China is ready to work with South Asian countries, including India [and] Sri Lanka, to strengthen policy communication [and] identify the meeting point of their development strategies."

On the surface, the two projects do have much in common – both seek to expand regional integration, especially when it comes to trade and commerce. But on a deeper level, both the MSR and Project Mausam are about expanding influence – culturally, economically, and even strategically. India devised Project Mausam to counter perceptions that China was becoming the major Indian Ocean power; the chances of New Delhi allowing its initiative to become a sidespur to the larger MSR are slim to none.

China has had success in other cases tying its MSR to another country's own development goals, most notably Indonesia's "maritime fulcrum" policy. But when it comes to India, China faces deeper issues of mistrust and strategic competition. India has yet to buy in to the MSR, holding out even during Xi's visit to India last year. Despite China's repeated insistence that the MSR is a multilateral project (a "chorus" rather than a Chinese "solo," in Xi's words), India isn't buying it.

To get India on board the MSR, Beijing will have to make real progress at dissolving the strategic issues between the two countries. Notably, China seems to be trying to do just that. China and India have raised hopes that they are newly committed to solving their long-standing border dispute – an ambitious goal that, if realized, could change the strategic calculus between the two neighbors. Both countries will be pushing for progress before Modi's planned visit to China this May.

By next month, then, we should have a better idea if China's MSR can ever woo India.

Can China Woo India to the Maritime Silk Road? | The Diplomat

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If Indian establishment is reluctant..then there would be specific inputs on Chinas intention.
Or
Being reluctant would make China hasten the settlement of border issue amicably.

I would say, with China, India has to be very very cautious.