US efforts to court Narendra Modi 'ludicrous': Chinese media

Terming US efforts to woo Prime Minister Narendra Modi after denying him a visa as quite ludicrous, an article in the Chinese state-run media today said America plans to revitalise its relations with India to boost its China containment policy. "The hospitality Modi enjoys in the US this time stands in clear contrast with the fact that he was denied a visa by the US government in 2005", an article in the web edition of the Global Times said.

"However, his latest visit hasn't gone smoothly either. Just ahead of Modi's US trip, a New York court issued summons against him for his alleged role in 2002 communal riots in Gujarat, casting a shadow over this visit." the piece written by a scholar of the state-run Shanghai Institute of International Studies said. "Washington's differing attitudes before and after Modi was elected as prime minister are quite ludicrous. It should not be the way the world's No 1 power behaves diplomatically," the article in the newspaper known for its nationalistic views said.

The opinion piece went on to add: "But indeed, it shows that the US' desire to hold itself out as the benchmark of human rights and morality in global governance. It also displays Washington's dissatisfaction with India in the past few years." Hinting at the apparent differences in the goals of India and the US, it said, "In terms of strategy and security, there is still a gap between India's objectives and those of the US." Suggesting that though there were apprehensions in India regarding "China's rise," it said, "India does not want to be part of Washington's China containment policy." "The US hopes to make defence cooperation a priority policy, while India is more willing to let US weapon manufacturers invest in India," it said. 

"Modi probably doesn't hold high expectations for achieving wide consensus with the Obama administration. President Barack Obama has only two years left in office and is unlikely to push major foreign policy initiatives," it said. Modi's diplomatic approaches indicate India's international status as an emerging power and reveal New Delhi's determination to seek the most benefits globally and regionally, it said.
On issues such as US "pivot to Asia" strategy, global trade negotiations, climate change, bilateral trade and investment, as well as nuclear liabilities, the US has been unhappy with India, which has sought to maintain its strategic independence, it said.

For its part India believes that the US didn't keep its promises or take India's interests into account over issues such as the US helping India raise its status globally, assisting it to gain legitimate status as a nuclear state and helping stabilise its financial markets, it said. "The high expectations toward each other, contrasted with poor actual results, result in worsening bilateral ties, shown in the case of a female Indian diplomat who was arrested in the US for visa fraud last year," it said. The article described Modi as an astute politician and a businessman. India has been pushing forward multilateralism, but in the process of becoming a major power, India must handle its relations with the US properly, it added.