Manoj Ambat's Blog dealing with Defence, Foreign Affairs, Strategic Affairs and Politics

Vietnamese scud ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons/ Author- Hohum) Source- The Business Standard Author- Jeremy Bender Vietnam is becoming a proxy against China in any future possible confrontation in the South China Sea or South Asia as a whole. On Oct. 28 India announced that it would sell naval vessels to Vietnam in exchange for an energy-exploration deal. These vessels would arrive at a time of rising tension between Vietnam and China over contested island chains in the South China Sea. Massive protests broke out across Vietnam in May and over the summer, as citizens torched Chinese businesses after China moved an oil rig into disputed territory west of the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. Both Vietnam and China lay claim to the islands, and the nations have frequently clashed over them. India's decision to back Vietnam comes during the country's own border disputes with China. China and India fought a border war in 1962 that has led to the fr

Kilo class Submarine (Image credits- Wikimedia Commons/ United States Navy)  A  visit earlier this month  by its President Pranab Mukherjee saw India sign several memorandums of understanding with Vietnam. Among them, the extension of a line of credit worth $100 million on defense procurement is particularly significant. This deal gives  defense relations between India and Vietnam  another shot in the arm, and has important implications for both countries. India: Asserting Itself As India enters the third decade of its  Look East Policy , its engagement with its eastern neighbors has both widened and deepened. India has comprehensive bilateral partnerships in the region, as well as multilateral relationships through ASEAN. New Delhi’s defense diplomacy in the region has made strides in the last two decades, such that India is now considered an important and welcome security partner in Southeast Asia. India’s regional cooperation in defense has generally entailed high-level vi