KOLKATA: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will divide the next four days beginning Friday in Vietnam and China — two socialist nations embroiled in drilling disputes in the South China Sea — in a bid to increase India’s presence South East Asia.
The visit will be Modi’s first to the region after a cabinet meeting headed by him on Wednesday ratified an Indian Rs5,000 million (about $75m) fund for what his government said would “catalyse Indian economic presence in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam”.
His first stop will be Hanoi on Friday, from where he will go to Hangzhou on Saturday to attend the two-day G-20 summit beginning Sunday.
The Indian Express newspaper quoted unnamed sources in the Indian government as saying that Modi will also meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G-20 summit to convey New Delhi’s concerns over CPEC.
A government statement said Modi will return to India on September 5, and will leave for Laos on a two-day visit to attend the annual India-ASEAN and East Asia Summits on September 8.
On Friday, the Indian prime minister greeted the Vietnamese people on their National Day on his Facebook page and described their country as “a friendly nation with whom we cherish our relationship”.
Vietnam gained independence from French rule on September 2, 1945.
“Today evening, I will reach Hanoi in Vietnam, marking the start of a very important visit that will further cement the close bond between India and Vietnam.
“My Government attaches a high priority to our bilateral relations with Vietnam. The India-Vietnam partnership will benefit Asia and the rest of the world.”
During the visit, he said he would “hold extensive discussions” with Vietname Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and “review [a]complete spectrum” of the bilateral relationship between the two countries. . Modi is also slated to meet President Tran Dai Quang, Communist Party of Vietnam General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, and National Assembly Chairperson Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.
“We wish to forge a strong economic relationship with Vietnam that can mutually benefit our citizens,” Modi said on his post that also featured a photo of the Hanoi skyline.
One Rollo Nguyen, presumably a Vietnamese, gushed on Modi’s post: “Im looking forward yur trip to Vietnam, I wish warm realationship grow up (sic), close friend tie up and faithfulness day by day. We Love India, mate!”
While in Vietnam, Modi is expected to specifically discuss ways on how to accelerate India’s engagement in oil exploration in South China Sea.
In February, Vietnam had invited India to explore a 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone in the region for natural resources. China says the area belongs to it, and had even deployed fighter jets and surface-to-air missiles.
Vietnamese ambassador to India Ton Sinh Thanh had told reporters in Delhi that his people were “determined to protect our rights”, would “cooperate with other countries, including India, to explore and exploit resources within our 200-nautical-mile EEZ”.
Hanoi and New Delhi also signed a treaty allowing India to set up a satellite tracking and imaging centre in the southern part of Vietnam.
With this treaty, Vietnam will be able to get pictures from Indian earth observation satellites covering Asia including China and the South China Sea.
China is embroiled in maritime disputes with five ASEAN nations – Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.
