PM Modi’s three-nation tour bolsters ties with Indo-Pacific nations amid China’s growing assertiveness: Report

Beijing, July 11 (IANS) China’s July 6 test launch of a long-range ballistic missile coincided with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s arrival in Jakarta on the first leg of his three-nation tour of Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand, with both Canberra and Wellington denouncing the missile test, a report has stated.

PM Modi’s tour offered India an opportunity to deepen strategic ties with key Indo-Pacific countries while also reinforcing the vision of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) theme around which the Quad sought to build regional convergence.

Indian analysts have expressed optimism that “Modi’s new arc of trust will hold the Indo-Pacific together in these disruptive times,” according to the report in online magazine ‘The Diplomat’.

“On July 6, China’s navy test-launched a long-range ballistic missile with a dummy warhead from a nuclear-powered submarine. It was the second time China had fired a ballistic missile into international waters in recent years, following a test in September 2024. While Beijing sent advance notices to a few countries, the action demonstrated both its increasing reach and capability as part of its nuclear deterrence strategy and willingness to assert its active militarism in the region,” it detailed.

The report noted that despite Washington condemning the test launch as a matter of “great concern” and reaffirming its “steadfast defence commitments” to allies and partners, its gradual disengagement from the region has become increasingly evident.

“Washington is less enthusiastic about the Quad and remains ambiguous about the ‘Indo-Pacific’ nomenclature in its own strategy. Moreover, Trump’s idea of G2, a transactional duopoly with China to manage global affairs, does not necessarily counter Beijing’s assertive foreign policy, especially in its widening arc of influence,” it stated.

According to the report, despite its frustrations with Washington’s inconsistent approach to the Indo-Pacific label — including the renaming of its Indo-Pacific Command and its handling of the Quad — New Delhi has been careful to ensure that its outreach to Tokyo, Canberra, Wellington and Jakarta is not perceived as a strategic pivot away from the United States.

It added that the informal security assurances extended by US President Donald Trump to Prime Minister Modi during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of last month’s G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, were positively received in New Delhi.

Stressing that there is another important caveat to consider, the report said that sustaining a robust and multi-faceted Indo-Pacific strategy would require significant resources and sustained political focus, potentially stretching New Delhi’s capacities.

“Nevertheless, its proactive testing of these arrangements now, through PM Modi’s trips, rather than waiting for a crisis to explode, may very well be the strategy’s greatest strength. An India adept at navigating multiple partnerships simultaneously could potentially stand on a stronger platform with friends and sympathisers than one that remains dependent on Washington’s whims and fancies,” it noted.

–IANS

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