South Asia Monitor: India Looks East - July 06, 2000

July 6, 2000

In the two years since its nuclear tests, India has been quietly cultivating expanded relations with other countries in Asia. China, Japan, and the Southeast Asian countries top Indian priorities in the region. India-China relations are wary, dominated by their geo-strategic rivalry, but have stabilized since the tests. The content of the other growing relationships is chiefly economic, with trade expanding, investment hoped for, and broader regional cooperation still very limited. Stronger Asian ties will tend to reinforce India's economic reform policies, and India probably hopes they will also help build support for a UN Security Council seat.