India makes clear it will not put all its eggs in one basket

The 19th summit of Russian and Indian leaders in New Delhi on Oct 4 and Oct 5 has produced a noteworthy arms deal that the United States might see as a thorn in its flesh. India is to spend $5.43 billion purchasing Russia's S-400 anti-aircraft missile system, in spite of Washington's warning of sanctions. People's Daily Overseas Edition comments:

The two countries will also quarterback a joint military drill this year and Russia will help to build another six nuclear power plants in India. They have also agreed to strengthen cooperation in manned space flights and they have vowed to increase mutual investment to $30 billion by 2025, according to a joint statement issued after the meeting.

The missile system deal can be seen as a concrete fruit of the two countries continuous consolidating of their cooperation, and it shows that New Delhi and Washington are not on the same wavelength when it comes to the US' Indo-Pacific strategy.

Considering the huge input the US has dedicated to its defense relations with India, if not its exempting of India from its tariffs, the outcomes of the summit are undoubtedly embarrassing for the US.

As one of the largest developing countries, India is well aware that it needs an open and inclusive external development environment to fuel its economic growth over the next 20 years at least. Putting all its eggs in the US basket would only create unnecessary uncertainties and risks for India, since under its "America first" policy, the Trump administration will by no means care for India's concerns.

In other words, if the US does not discard its condescending posture and hegemonism, even those countries sharing the same so-called values with it will ignore its warnings to strive for their own development space and resources.