US NSA to visit China and India, signaling shift from G-2 to G-3

nrj

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WASHINGTON: As strategic signaling goes, this one is fairly direct and uncomplicated. President Obama is sending his National Security Advisor Tom Donilon to China and India on a two-nation visit this week, indicating that his administration has moved past the G-2 idea involving only the United States and China to a G-3 formation that includes India.

"Donilon's visit underscores this administration's commitment to growing US leadership in Asia, and our work with emerging powers, such as China and India, as a core component of this commitment," the White House said while announcing the visit. The statement accentuated Washington's resolve to boost its primacy in Asia while treating China and India on a similar footing, formally sidelining a school of thought that sought to bracket US and China in a G-2 tie-up while consigning India to a subsidiary regional role.

The G-2 idea was first introduced by the American economist C. Fred Bergsten in 2005, primarily as an economic relationship because the US and China were the two largest economies and biggest trading partners in the world. But other thinkers like Cold War strategist Zbigniew Brzezinski and the historian Niall Fergusson imparted geo-political heft to it, suggesting US and China could band together to solve the world's problems, including Pakistan's issues with India, ignoring the fact that China itself had problems with India.

Like the Clinton administration, the Obama White House too was smitten with the idea briefly at the start of his presidency, but there has been a course correction over the past several months. While President Clinton acknowledged China's interests in South Asia, the Obama administration has now made it known that it equally recognizes India's stakes in East Asia and had been quietly stiffening New Delhi's resolve to reclaim its influence and role in the region.

In fact, the schedule and agenda for Donilon's travels makes this quite clear. In Beijing, Donilon will meet Chinese leaders and policymakers, including Vice Premier Wang Qishan and State Councilor Dai Bingguo, and "discuss a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual concern," according to the White House.

Donilon will then travel to India for meetings with Indian leaders including his Indian counterpart Shiv Shankar Menon to "review recent developments in the US-India strategic partnership, and discuss ways to advance key elements of the relationship, including both countries' participation in the upcoming East Asia Summit," the White House said.

The East Asia summit is scheduled to be held in Bali, Indonesia, in the third week of November. President Obama, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and China's Premier Wen Jiabao are expected to attend, along with leaders from 16 other countries, including Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam, all leery of Beijing's growing clout.

The burying of the G-2 idea and drawing India into the overall Asian security and economic matrix is attributed to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who, in a landmark speech in Chennai earlier this year, made no secret of Washington's expectations that India would play a more assertive role in the region. In a 'Foreign Policy' commentary she wrote this month, Clinton said Washington is setting its sights on "enhancing coordination and engagement among the three giants of the Asia-Pacific: China, India, and the United States."

Conceding that "there are still obstacles to overcome and questions to answer on both sides," Clinton however said "the United States is making a strategic bet on India's future -- that India's greater role on the world stage will enhance peace and security...that India's vibrant, pluralistic democracy will produce measurable results and improvements for its citizens and inspire others to follow a similar path of openness and tolerance." The poke at China was unmistakable.

"So the Obama administration has expanded our bilateral partnership; actively supported India's Look East efforts, including through a new trilateral dialogue with India and Japan; and outlined a new vision for a more economically integrated and politically stable South and Central Asia, with India as a linchpin," she added.

The commentary pointedly did not endorse the G-2 idea or treat China as a US equal, instead referring to it as one of the most prominent emerging partners of Washington.

Over the years, the East Asia forum, first proposed by Malaysia, has become a platform to balance China's influence, and some strategic thinkers have suggested that both China and India, along with US, Russia and Japan, should be part of a "concert of powers" that will play a stabilizing role in Asia.

US NSA to visit China and India, signaling shift from G-2 to G-3 - The Times of India
 

W.G.Ewald

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Donilon will then travel to India for meetings with Indian leaders including his Indian counterpart Shiv Shankar Menon...
Any relation to V.K.Krishna Menon?
 

no smoking

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Oh, stop self-congratulation please!

There is no G2 or G3 for the time being! In the next 10 years at least, the only truth will still be G1--- USA!
No matter how we feel optimistic about both countries future, China is still a big boy struggling to create his influence in the street around home while India is a little kid trying to set his house in order.

The only one who can affect the whole town is USA.
 

Yusuf

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Either its a sensational headline or it's another Obummer!!!

Seriously mow Obama can't be thinking of dividing the world between the 3 countries. I don't think we should read too much into this. There cannot be a G3 yet, not in the strategic sense. Yeah we can have that in the economic sense like how there was a G5,6,7,8!!! But even for that we have to wait till India becomes a $5 trillion economy in nominal terms overtaking Japan to be the third largest economy.
 

SADAKHUSH

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China will object and ask for a G-4 to include Pakistan.
This announcement sounds like a smoke screen to me. The real agenda is to brief both the countries about the troops build up along the Pakistan and Afghanistan border.

Pakistan needs another 64 years to join the G-22 first, if it behaves like a civilized citizen of the world than we will consider for promotion to the next level.

I wonder what kind of threat will come out of China to USA.
 

SADAKHUSH

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Oh, stop self-congratulation please!

There is no G2 or G3 for the time being! In the next 10 years at least, the only truth will still be G1--- USA!
No matter how we feel optimistic about both countries future, China is still a big boy struggling to create his influence in the street around home while India is a little kid trying to set his house in order.

The only one who can affect the whole town is USA.
Your days of creating influence in other countries is coming to end. Your economy is about to implode. If you care to read the leading journals on economy. You will have to start allover again Mr. LOL.
 

nimo_cn

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There is no G3, but G2 which is made of USA and India.
 

niceguy2011

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Your days of creating influence in other countries is coming to end. Your economy is about to implode. If you care to read the leading journals on economy. You will have to start allover again Mr. LOL.
Dreaming boy, leading journals on economy gave the world a great crisis and do no thing now. LOL
 

Ray

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India is a nation that cares for all.

Even a G 786 status is fine, so long the world progresses and there is peace!
 

thakur_ritesh

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I have bones to pick with the ToI, why is it that they keep inventing all these jargons, India is a super power, its G3 now, no more G2, as if G2 was a grand success and a grouping that shapes the future of the world, something which in reality terribly failed, and is seen as a blot on the face of the US and obama in particular.

ToI needs to move ahead of the useless sensational stuff they keep doing.

The most important thing is, India's relationship with the US needs to get independent of others, be it in the form of G3 or something else. This relationship needs to grow strong on common goals, understandings, interests and not be clubbed with others and then seen in that light. Important here is have increased bilateral interaction on various subjects and its of extreme essence since we intend to increase foothold beyond south asia, intend to be a part of various world bodies, have better and bigger say in world financial bodies, etc.

Thanks but no thanks, let ToI be interested in G3, we are not.
 

nimo_cn

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G1 ambitions?

P.S. Your previous avatar was better.
Yeah I know. You want to be G1!!
G1, G2 or G3, you can have it, we don't care!

PS: I will have a better avatar next time.



India is a nation that cares for all.

Even a G 786 status is fine, so long the world progresses and there is peace!
I doubt Indian media is gonna make a big fuss if India makes G786.
 

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