It is in Japan’s interest also to make India economically strong against China

NEW DELHI: The ongoing border tussle between India and China involving a recent bloody confrontation between the forces of the two Asian giants has once again exposed the latter’s expansionist misadventures.

The emerging situation that has brought to the fore the Chinese hegemony tactics aimed at galloping land of neighboring nations, an emerging threat to world peace.

The evolving developments at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh in India have drawn the attention of the entire world, especially some of the countries like USA and Japan who are forced to deliberate on drawing a new world order in a post-COVID-19 pandemic scenario.

It is now being strongly felt that the world needs to strictly strengthen and push the free and open Indo-Pacific strategy to contain the dangerous ambitions of conquering the world slowly and gradually, by using its economic and military clout.

In this initiative, countries like India, the USA, and Japan can take major participation.

Nobuhiro Takahashi – an Advisor of Suggestion Activities, Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in India (JCCII) recently wrote in Japan Forward, an English-language news & opinion portal of Japan’s popular Sankei Shimbun newspaper, “The only way to thwart China’s stealth ambitions is to establish a free and open Indo-Pacific strategy that should be jointly led by India, the United States, and Japan.”

The article published in both the languages – English and Japanese, said that China, an economic mammoth under the dictatorial rule of the Chinese Communist Party, has moved to establish its domination of the world in this crisis.

“It’s glaring moves are manifested through the use of force in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, as well as in the construction of an industrial road linking China and Pakistan. Moreover, it is attempting to build a road connecting China and Myanmar, in addition to carrying out incursions in India’s border areas for the purpose of building a China-Bangladesh industrial road,” Nobuhiro Takahashi stated in this self-authored article.

Born in 1963, and a graduate from the Osaka University of Foreign Studies, Takahashi is the managing executive officer (MEO) of a well-known Japanese auto component manufacturing company in India. He has been living in India since 2008 and takes avid interest in world economic and political development revolving especially around Japan, India, and China.

A staunch supporter of India-Japan friendship, Takahashi wrote in his article titled “To Ensure Its Security Post-Pandemic, Japan Should Help Boost India’s Economic Clout” in Japan Forward that the Indian government has declared that infrastructure improvements and industrial policy of localizing advanced technologies are of topmost significance for a new era to prosper in India.

“Considerable time has passed since the conclusion of the Japan-India nuclear energy agreement in 2016. Unless Japan takes such bold steps as providing India with some ￥10 trillion JPY loan ($93 billion USD) for funding construction of 10 nuclear power plants, for instance, the Indian economy would be driven into a state of dormancy.”

Takahashi further said in the article that by availing itself of such a void, China would be most likely to bring its strategy of advancing to the Indian Ocean to completion. As a result, Japan’s essential commercial sea lanes in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea would cease to function, constituting a serious threat to the security of Japan.

“Japan’s own future would be in jeopardy unless measures for boosting the economic clout of India ― one of the three sides of the Indo-Pacific strategy ― are put into force. This should be accomplished through collaboration between Japan and the United States at the earliest possible time in the post-coronavirus environment,” cautioned Takahashi.

Currently, India is doing its utmost to forge ahead with the deregulation of the economy. What India most needs now is effective international support for buttressing its fiscal spending.

Takahashi also said in case China managed to build a transportation corridor directly leading to the Indian Ocean, its ambitions for changing the status quo would embroil Japan in conflicts in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.

“Moreover, it (China) is attempting to build a road connecting China and Myanmar, in addition to carrying out incursions in India’s border areas for the purpose of building a China-Bangladesh industrial road,” said Takahashi.

While talking to Asian Community News (ACN) Network today, Takahashi, said, “In pursuance of Japan Forward’s article, India should come out with its strong intention to realize Open Market economy with the economic freedom of India and push for more de-regulations to pave the way for Japan/OECD. Indian needs lay more emphasis on a stable political environment, more effective ease of doing business, and sound infrastructure.  To realize this, India must get effective international support for buttressing its fiscal spending.”