In a development that will irk China, India has invited Vietnam to part of its Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI).
IPOI was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during last year’s East Asia Summit in Bangkok, Thailand as an outreach programme for South-East Asian countries that have been diplomatically neglected for a long time.
The purpose of IPOI is to increase trade connectivity, maritime transport and security along with maritime ecology, maritime resources, capacity building, resource sharing, disaster risk reduction and management, science, technology and academic cooperation.
India extended the invite during the 17th India-Vietnam Joint Commission Meeting led by External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Vietnam’s Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.
A statement by the Ministry of External Affairs said, “India and Vietnam agreed to enhance their bilateral cooperation in line with India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and the ASEAN’s Outlook on Indo-Pacific to achieve shared security, prosperity and growth for all in the region.”
This invitation comes at a time when China is trying to compromise the territorial integrity of both nations and this invitation is important for both New Delhi and Hanoi.
Right now India is facing a hostile China in Eastern Ladakh as ties have deteriorated after Galwan face-off. At the same time Vietnam has to deal with frequent Chinese intrusion into its exclusive economic zone.
In April this year, Vietnam released footage of a large Chinese ship chasing and ramming one of its fishing boats that then sank near an oil rig in contested waters in the South China Sea which China claims belongs to it in its entirety. All countries in the South China Sea region face an aggressive China that has intruded into their economic zones.
In the recently concluded United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting to vote on the selection of a non-permanent member, India secured an unprecedented 184 votes out of the 193 countries who are members of the United Nations.
From January 1 2021, India and Vietnam will serve concurrently as non-permanent members as both sides have increased engagement in the last few years.
Modi’s Act East policy has set the ball rolling in the possible sale of BahMos missile to Vietnam now that both India and Russia have agreed to sell this deadly supersonic missile to friendly third countries.