India's autonomy good for regional stability: China Daily editorial

Washington has once again proved that it is the one acting aggressively in the "Indo-Pacific" region. Not content with using NATO as a means to exploit the fault line in the European security landscape, it is now intent on pushing the transatlantic security alliance eastward so it can be used in the same way in the Asia-Pacific.

Having got its hooks into Tokyo for this purpose, Washington is now also eyeing New Delhi, with a US congressional committee recommending the inclusion of India in "NATO Plus" to boost US defense cooperation in the region.

"Including India in NATO Plus security arrangements would build upon the US and India's close partnership to strengthen global security and deter the aggression of the CCP across the Indo-Pacific region," the US House Select Committee against China said of its move. The fact that the idea of including India into NATO Plus was raised by the US House Select Committee against China is no surprise. The select committee was formed by the Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy as part of the commitments he made to secure the post.

As has become the norm for Washington nowadays, the claim of Chinese aggression is flown in the face of the truth. It is not Chinese warships and airplanes that are amassing off US shores. It is the militaries of the US and its allies that are operating 50 kilometers off China's coastline. Such claims are similar to the eggs that Washington laid for its stratagem in Europe.

Yet this time the committee appears to have put the armored wagon before the horse, as New Delhi is reluctant to join the US cavalry's wagon train.

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar described Washington's scheme as "not suitable" and made clear his nation "has no intention of joining NATO Plus" at a news conference on Thursday ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington. By refusing to be a puppet of the US, India has avoided its border disputes and competition with China from being made use of by the US in the same way that the rub between Ukraine and Russia was frictionalized to create a spark.

The two Asian neighbors do have their differences, but these are controllable if Washington's attempts to interfere are not allowed to gain any traction. India was a leader of the non-aligned movement and its upholding the tradition of strategic autonomy and diplomatic independence is good for the region as it helps maintain a solid foundation for regional peace and stability.

No doubt Washington will persist in trying to get a foothold for NATO in the region, as once it is given an inch it thinks it will be able to take the whole region as its yard.

Modi should bear in mind that India's cooperation with NATO would come at a price and be prepared to brush aside any sweet talk, cajoling and coercion from the US side during his visit.