Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Photo : Getty Images)
The Sept. 2-3 visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Vietnam is being overshadowed by a lingering question: will both countries at last sign the deal to sell India's deadly BrahMos supersonic cruise missile to Vietnam?
What is certain is BrahMos will be atop the agenda during meetings between Modi and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Overarching the talks to bolster Vietnam's arsenal will be India's new and more muscular role as a key Asian player opposing Chinese hegemony in the South China Sea and Asia.
"Narendra Modi's visit actually is the strong indication of India showing its friendship, camaraderie, solidarity with Vietnam, particularly at the time when Vietnam is facing lots of pressure in the region from China," said Prof. Sukh Doe Muni, fellow at the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses in New Delhi.
The ruling against China by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that invalidated China's claim to own the South China Sea might bring India and Vietnam closer together diplomatically, believes Ngo Xuan Binh, director of the Institute of Indian and Southwest Asian Studies in Hanoi.
Western military sources said Modi's talks in Hanoi included the option of stationing a team of Indian technicians Vietnam to offer the Vietnamese assistance in using the BrahMos system. Speculation is rife India might soon deliver the potent cruise missile to Hanoi, which means the deal has been signed.
Modi is the first Indian prime minister to visit Vietnam in over a decade. Analysts say his visit proves how important Hanoi is to India, and also sends a strong signal to China as to which side India supports in the South China Sea imbroglio.
"Vietnam is India's important strategic partner and the visit is aimed at further strengthening bilateral ties, including defense, security and trade," said Preeti Saran, Secretary (East), External Affairs Ministry, before Modi's arrival.
"Vietnam is a central pillar of India's Act East Policy and our priorities for cooperation range in a whole host of areas, including defense and security, trade and investment, maritime cooperation, energy resources, in integrating our self to the ASEAN community and for leveraging our interactions in the regional and international forums," she said.
"Defense and security cooperation with Vietnam is very robust, which includes counterterrorism, trans-national crimes. Our focus is on capacity building, training, high-level exchanges and more recently defense procurement."
Modi will leave for Hangzhou, China from Vietnam in the evening on Sept. 3 to attend the G-20 Summit on September 4 and 5.
