INDIA WELCOMES COORDINATION WITH US AS IT PURSUES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 006770 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT. FOR SCA AND EAP TOKYO PLS PASS TO AMCONSUL NAGOYA E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/28/2026 TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR AORC EAID EIND MOPS OVIP PHSA TSPL, IN, CH, PK, JP SIPDIS SUBJECT: INDIA WELCOMES COORDINATION WITH US AS IT PURSUES "LOOK EAST" POLICY NEW DELHI 00006770 001.2 OF 003 Classified By: Political Counselor Ted Osius for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) ¶1. SUMMARY: India's senior foreign ministry official charged with managing relations with Asia, Ashok Khanta, unofficially expressed interest in pursuing a four-party dialogue with the US, Japan, and Australia with a focus on regional issues including maritime security, science and technology cooperation, and disaster recovery exercises. Under the umbrella of an informal dialogue, he said the GOI would like to discuss the strategic significance of China's emergence at senior levels. The GOI would greatly appreciate US assistance in assuaging Japanese concerns regarding India's nuclear non-proliferation policies and in focusing GOJ attention on "how to take the relationship forward" in the areas of defense and technology cooperation. Kantha noted that PRC President Hu Jintao will visit New Delhi on 20-23 November and that Prime Minister Singh will visit Japan on 14 December. Dates for both visits are agreed but not yet formally announced. END SUMMARY. -------------- "Discuss what we think, not just party lines" -------------- ¶2. In a 27 September courtesy call by PolCouns, Mr. Ashok Kantha, the Ministry of External Affairs' Joint Secretary for East Asia, summed up progress in strengthening Indo-Japanese relations over the past two years as "very gratifying" and involving a "fundamental reassessment of the relationship from both sides." When PolCouns inquired about Indian interest in a possible Indo-US-Japan-Australia dialogue, Mr. Ashok noted that the Government of Japan (GOJ) had already sent feelers regarding the same, and, although it may be premature at this time, the GOI was looking seriously at the idea of informal discussions. Stating that it was best to "discuss what we think, not just party lines," Khanta cautioned that a four-way dialogue would need to be packaged in a manner that could not be perceived as aimed at China. He added that, in India, there are domestic forces sensitive to Indo-Chinese relations. PolCouns said former NSC senior director Mike Green had launched an informal US-Japanese-India trilateral dialogue in June; Ashok replied that the GOI was "fully supportive of the Track II process." Mr. Ashok suggested that maritime security issues would be an appropriate starting point for an informal dialogue and opined that other complementarities such as economic cooperation projects and disaster recovery exercises could be explored. Citing the four nations' success in post-tsunami relief, Mr. Ashok said that he would appreciate USG input regarding other areas for four-party cooperation if the idea developed. -------------- Dialogue cannot target China specifically, but GOI is willing to talk -------------- ¶3. Asked whether the USG and India should be discussing NEW DELHI 00006770 002.2 OF 003 China policy at senior levels, Mr. Ashok noted that the GOI has ongoing senior-level talks with Russia regarding China but not much with the US. Ashok reiterated that the GOI is favorable to strategic discussions on China, speculating that they would be easier to carry out if "within the framework of a regional dialogue." He stated that the GOI attaches huge importance to its relationship with China and said that PRC President Hu Jintao will visit New Delhi on the 20-23 November. (NOTE: The official announcement for the visit is pending. END NOTE.) He noted that Hu will also visit Pakistan and speculated that the visit will be of comparable duration. -------------- GOI requests US to give GOJ a nudge regarding India -------------- ¶4. Mr. Ashok said that Prime Minister Singh is planning to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Abe on December 14 but the GOI had waited for Abe to take the reins officially before announcing the visit. One objective of the visit is to give concrete shape to informal economic initiatives such as those discussed in the Track II trilateral dialogue. Mr. Ashok expects negotiations will aim toward an agreement similar to the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with South Korea, which should be finalized during the second half of 2007. Mr. Ashok stated that the GOI needed the USG to help alleviate the GOJ's proliferation concerns regarding India and to encourage the GOJ to "unfreeze issues related to high technology trade and defense cooperation." Mr. Ashok noted that a "bottom-up approach goes nowhere", and the Indo-Japanese relationship requires a "bottom-down" strategy similar to recent US-INDO initiatives in order to move the issues from a theoretical to a practical arena. Polcouns suggested that the GOJ may be more amenable to opening up defense cooperation and high technology trade if the GOI showed itself to be a "responsible steward" of nuclear technology and facilities by providing a definitive road map of its direction after the passage of the US-India Civil Nuclear Cooperation Initiative, including membership in the Australia Group, the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), the Missile Technology Control Regime, and the Wassenaar Agreement. -------------- Engaging on China -------------- ¶5. COMMENT: The Indians eagerly responded to our suggestions of opening up discussions regarding their growing ties to East Asia, showing little of the reticence they exhibit when we probe for information about their own sphere of influence, South Asia. Post sees a window of opportunity to engage with the GOI on China and other East Asian challenges and urges an early visit by senior EAP officials to provide momentum. India considers Burma, with which it shares a thousand-mile border, part of its sphere, but a dialogue on Burma might be NEW DELHI 00006770 003.2 OF 003 useful as well. END COMMENT MULFORD