India relaxed on Chinese use of economic muscle

Vietnam, the Philippines, and others impacted by China’s expansive maritime claims are expressing concern that China will use its economic leverage to back its territorial claims. India, by contrast, appears unconcerned about the linkage. Via Bloomberg: Not all China’s neighbors share Vietnam’s concern at China using commerce as a foreign-policy tool. Indian Foreign Minister Salman ...

By , a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies.

Vietnam, the Philippines, and others impacted by China's expansive maritime claims are expressing concern that China will use its economic leverage to back its territorial claims. India, by contrast, appears unconcerned about the linkage. Via Bloomberg:

Vietnam, the Philippines, and others impacted by China’s expansive maritime claims are expressing concern that China will use its economic leverage to back its territorial claims. India, by contrast, appears unconcerned about the linkage. Via Bloomberg:

Not all China’s neighbors share Vietnam’s concern at China using commerce as a foreign-policy tool. Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid said Chinese use of economic power to push its goals in Asia was acceptable as long as it didn’t break laws.

“Don’t we all use our economic muscle?” Khurshid said in an interview in his office in New Delhi on Nov. 30. “What is economic muscle for if not to use it to create an advantage for your people? So long as it’s not illegitimate, so long as it doesn’t violate principles of international law.”

David Bosco is a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. He is the author of The Poseidon Project: The Struggle to Govern the World’s Oceans. Twitter: @multilateralist

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