India seeks balance in ties between China and US

BEIJING: India is adopting a "multi-faceted diplomacy" that seeks to strike a balance between China and the US, top Chinese experts have said, ahead of President Hu Jintao's visit to New Delhi for the BRICS summit.

"India hopes to strike a balance between China and the US to gain a win-win situation," said Wang Dehua, a specialist on South Asia studies at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies (SIIS).

Welcoming Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's observation that a large country like China cannot be contained, Wang told state-run Global Times that it showed that India's aim is to have a cooperative relationship with both US and China.

He said US efforts to set off competition between New Delhi and Beijing to contain China is just Washington's "wish".

"There is no big conflict between China and India. There is much room for the two countries in enhancing cooperation," he said.

"In recent years, the US-Indian relationship has developed fast. The US wants to see competition between them (China and India) and tries to contain China using India, but it might just be the US' wish," he said, adding the timing of Singh's statement is related to the upcoming BRICS Summit in New Delhi during March 28-29.

Wang Fan, director of the Institute of International Relations at China Foreign Affairs University backed Wang's views.

"The US, with Cold-War mentality, hopes to form a strategic encirclement around China. India is, no doubt, one important link in it. But, India is adopting multi-faceted diplomacy," he said.

"It wants to gain assistance from the US in its development. Meanwhile, it needs to cultivate good ties with other countries, particularly China," he said.

Indian Prime Minister Singh had told the South Korean daily 'JoongAng Ilbo' that large and dynamic countries like China cannot be contained.

"Our aim is to have cooperative ties with both China and USA. It is not zero-sum game. I do not think that large and dynamic countries like China can be contained," Singh had said in comments which were published by the Global Times today.