ShyBuzz's Not Just Another Blog is the official blog of http://shybuzz.com/, a leading Digital Communications, PR and Brand Consulting agency situated in Bhandup, Mumbai.
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Come on Team India - It's Time to Bleed Blue Again |
The burgeoning interest in India-China
relations from around the world is to be expected considering the two
giants of Asia are the growth engines of not only the Asian economy, but they
also form a crucial cog in the wheel that is driving the world economy forward.
The two most populous nuclear neighbors with the fastest growing economies in
the world are poised to be the key drivers of what promises to be an “Asian
Century”.
It has been seen more often than not that the media and analysts go into a
real frenzy concerning any developments surrounding India and China. It seems
to be in a delirious rush to fulfill the perennial appetite for news relating
to countries that sustains approximately 40% of the world population – and
surprisingly one of them, India, doesn’t even have a seat in the Security
Council of the United Nations, which is a travesty in itself for some, and
something that many Indians feel strongly about. They argue that it is not surprising
that the Council is squabbling over what to do with Syria where there seems to
be more vetoes than agreement, made all the worse by the fact that innocents
are being killed every day.
However, in essence, and many media practitioners have made this point time
and again, that the media isn’t wrong in its entirety as the relationship
between the behemoths hasn’t been hunky-dory at the best of times with
contentions ranging from respective country’s stance on Kashmir and Tibet;
India’s claim to Aksai Chin, which is reciprocated by China’s claim on the
whole of Arunachal Pradesh, that China prefers to call, South Tibet – much to
the ire of India; India’s asylum to Tibetans and the Dalai Lama; China’s
all-weather support to Pakistan; increasing competition in scouting for energy
sources around the world, deep-rooted suspicions of expansionism, military
coercion and strategic containment 
on both sides, apart from the stake that the
two countries have on international politics and world affairs, which go off on
a tangent on many issues, are only some of the factors that dominate
proceedings as far as India-China relationship goes.
The South China Sea dispute has the potential to morph into a major military
flashpoint if current political powwow for a peaceful resolution doesn’t bear
fruit soon, and India’s presence in the region hasn’t gone down well with the
Chinese with repeated veiled warnings emanating from China’s official sources
for foreign countries, particular India and the US, to stay away, with India
refusing to budge as it strives to fulfill the needs of a power hungry nation
that is largely depended on external sources to fuel its growth.
The US Presidential Election is right around the corner, and
it is not surprising that the interest within India and amongst the Indian
expats living in the U.S. and also right around the globe has seen a drastic upswing.
This interest is expected to reach a crescendo by the time we get to the crucial
final stages and everyone from school children to political bigwigs in India are
following the race to the White House with doting eyes, and the curiosity and
anxiety around being palpable indeed. The Indian media has given the election
coverage its due space, voice, time, and ink, and has done a commendable job
covering it thus far.
This heightened sense of anticipation comes as no surprise
to many of the analysts who have often elucidated that the strength of this flourishing
partnership between these two great countries is not just driven by political
convenience and economic sense, but by popular consensus of its people, fuelled
by a firm conviction that they share a common geopolitical destiny. Many opinion-makers, along with other social and political
commentators, have already christened the Indo-US partnership as one of the, if
not, the partnership that will shape the world around us for years to come,
with Democracy proving to be the mortar that binds it strongly together, seamlessly.
Despite reports coming out of the US relating to outsourcing
and the recent statement on the investment
climate and economic reforms in India, often hyped by the media covering
the campaign, the grapevine in India suggests that no one is losing sleep over
the issue and the popular sentiment in India is largely pragmatic as a strong
America is considered best for India – and that outsourcing was always about
making things efficient and ultimately better, wasn’t it? At least India still
believes so, despite what the naysayers might say.
Having said that, the question still remains,
does that speak to the majority of the Indian-American or for those having
links with India? Probably not! But the jury is still out and many in India
favor Romney to topple Obama with the majority expecting a close race too close
to call just yet. No matter what rhetoric gets thrown around, which is to be
expected during the peak of campaign season, the underlying prognosis still
leaves room for a guarded sense of optimism and excitement for the relationship’s
future. This talks volumes to the speed at which the Indo-US relationship has
developed, which has naturally attracted a lot of attention from nations with
their own prejudices, biases, concerns, stake or involvement in this
partnership.
The partnership assumes even more significance under the economic
environment that we live in today – a case in point being, “Dr. Doom”, the
Economist Nouriel Roubini reiterating his predication for a, ‘perfect storm,’ among
many others, and the world looking to the United States, the European Union,
along with prominent countries like India and China, for a way through or over
the dark clouds that loom on the horizon – too menacingly for comfort.
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| George Washington |
