The United States is "not sincerely supporting" India, claims an analysis published in a state-owned Chinese daily mere days before US Secretary of State is slated to visit India.
The article in Global Times -- the Chinese newspaper that functions under the aegis of the state-run People's Daily -- claimed that all the US wants is to "contain China" and "split Asia."
Written by Long Xingchun, a senior research fellow at The Charhar Institute and director of the Center of India Studies at China West Normal University, the article also says that "Indians will eventually see through" this ruse.
The remarks come less than a week after Tillerson said that the US needs the help of India to check the influence of China in certain regions of Asia.
Support 'nothing more than' a cover
Long, in his analysis titled "US offers empty promises to India", has is not entirely pessimistic about the relations between the two countries -- one a neighbour and a major trade partner, and another an even bigger trade partner. He even says: "The US-India relationship has great potential."
However, he quickly points out that the US has allied with China while India had better ties with the Soviet Union throughout the Cold War. He then says: "For the results-oriented Trump's administration that emphasises 'America first' and downplays ideology, it is hard to imagine that democracy would be the reason why the US strengthens its ties with India."
Long also pointed out that the US began to support India's bid for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council only after former US president Barack Obama's visit to India in 2009.
He wrote about the new US support and its Asia-Pacific re-balancing strategy: "It made people suspect the US was not genuinely giving strong backing to India, but was drawing New Delhi out to contain China. Such a presumption was proved right when the US failed to take any practical measures in support of India."
Long also claimed that although India's bid to enter the Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG) is supported by the US, the latter's allies in the NSG do not support it, while "seems to have only held a grudge against China for not being supportive."
He then wrote: "The behaviour of the US indicates that supporting India is nothing more than a cover. All the US wants is to contain China and split Asia."
The Tillerson trigger
This latest outburst from Chinese state media on India and its growing proximity to other world powers seems to have been triggered by a recent speech given by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
He had said last week: "The United States seeks constructive relations with China, but we will not shrink from China's challenges to the rules-based order and where China subverts the sovereignty of neighbouring countries and disadvantages the US and our friends."
Tillerson had also said: "India and the United States should be in the business of equipping other countries to defend their sovereignty, build greater connectivity, and have a louder voice in a regional architecture that promotes their interests and develops their economies."
The remarks had been welcomed by India. In fact, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said: "We appreciate his positive evaluation of the relationship and share his optimism about its future directions. We look forward to welcoming him in India next week for detailed discussions on further strengthening of our partnership."
What does China want?
Interestingly, the Global Times article has words of both advice and caution for India.
For example, Long concludes his article thus: "Both Beijing and New Delhi should try more to pursue the 'Asian Century,' rather than losing that chance by fighting each other."
However, he also argues in his article, in almost a veiled threat like the ones thrown around during the Doklam standoff: "It is thus difficult to imagine how much support the US would give New Delhi if a clash broke out between China and India."
So the questions that now arise are: What does China want? How does it want India to respond?
A cursory perusal of the article gives the impression that Long, through it, is urging India to not repose much faith in the US, but instead trust more in China.
While it is quite true that India and China working together may work wonders, it is also true that India may be manipulated politically and otherwise if such a relationship precludes that India relies solely on China.
