SAARC diplomacy

After we hear from the Chinese at the IAEA on Friday, its foreign minister Yang Jiechi is likely to be in Colombo mingling with the subcontinent’s leaders over the weekend at the 15th Summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. China is among the many new states, including the United States, European Union, Japan, South Korea and Iran, that have been admitted as observers into SAARC. If Beijing reveals a positive attitude towards the Indo-US nuclear deal at the IAEA, New Delhi must in turn signal that it is ready for genuine cooperation with China in deepening regional integration through the SAARC. It is no secret that China has sought an increasing role within the SAARC and India has been hesitant to let that happen all these years. If China makes it clear that it will not seek to balance India within the subcontinent, New Delhi has no reason to undercut Beijing’s profile in South Asia. Working together, they can redefine the economic future of the subcontinent.

The writer is a Professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore iscrmohan@ntu.edu.sg