JAI and RIC

At the recent G20 meeting in 2018, Japan, India and US conducted a trilateral dialogue. At the same venue, India, Russia and China also held a joint meeting.

Contentious Issues between RIC and JAI members:

China

• Trade wars between US and China, China’s trade distorting practices, economic colonialism and disrespect for rules based order.
• China’s disrespect for national sovereignty (BRI passing through LoC, South China Issue).
• Conflict between China and Japan over control of islands (Senkaku) in East China Sea.
• South Korean tilt towards China has strained relations between China and Japan.

US

• Rising protectionism, unilateral sanctions, indifference to climate change effects and undemocratic hegemony over global institutions like UN, IMF and WTO.

Russia

• Annexation of Crimea, proxy war in Syria, Russian meddling and hacking US elections and Russian violation of Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. 

Role of India in JAI and RIC:

India enjoys cordial relations with all members of RIC and JAI bilaterally and hence can play a constructive role between JAI and RIC which could lead to:

1. Minimizing bilateral discord: By linking and bridging RIC and JAI, India can bring together individual countries like US, Japan, China and Russia which would create thaw in their bilateral issues.
2. Convergence on global issues: RIC and JAI can together eke out consensus on issues like:

• Economic: Sustainable trade policies and reform of WTO;streamlining governance of global supply of oil and prices,resolving the trade war between major economies, upholding rule based order
• Climate: Broader deliberations on climate change problem and its mitigation strategy.
• Regional development: Almost all countries in JAI and RIC are involved in development of least developed regions like Africa and South Asia etc. which can be made more robust if all collaborate on these issues jointly.
• Security: Peaceful resolving of Syrian proxy war crisis, Middle East turbulence (Saudi-Qatar divide, peace in Iraq etc.) and terrorism problem in South Asia.

3. Institutional reforms– JAI and RIC synergy could be channelized in bringing reforms of organizations like UN and IMF etc.
4. Voice of developing world: India can become the voice of developing and least developed countries and its neighbors like Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan etc., due to its enhanced global role and subsequent access.
5. Strengthening of global institutions: Synergy between RIC and JAI can enhance credibility and influence of organs like WTO, UN, United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) (climate change deadlock), United Nations Convention on Law of Seas (UNCLOS) (South China Sea award by UNCLOS ignored by China), which have witnessed erosion of control lately.
6. Regional Pacts: Continuity of regional pacts and agreements, like Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) can be ensured through joint efforts of JAI and RIC.

Benefits to India:

By playing the crucial role of a ‘swing state’ between JAI and RIC, India can secure the following:

1. Bargaining Power: India can play JAI v/s RIC card in order to secure important benefitsfor itself from both the groupings like NSG membership and sanctions on Pakistan’s terror activities etc.
2. Economic opportunities:India can widen its source of investments and trade by conducting with both the groupings.
3. Global Leader: By being the lynchpin between RIC and JAI, India can project itself as a global power and contender of UN permanent membership.
4. Strengthening of bilateral relations:Issues between India-China, India-Russia and India-US can be dealt more effectively through meaningful interventions and engagements. For example, Russia can bridge the gap between India and China, since it enjoys strong relations with both.
5. Taking leverage over Pakistan: A ‘swing state’ position between RIC and JAI would make India the hinge of South Asian diplomacy, a position currently enjoyed by Pakistan.
6. Combating terrorism:India can bring convergence among JAI and RIC on challenges of terrorism, its source & sponsors (Pakistan, Afghanistan’s stability and sanctions on Masood Azhar) and countering strategies.
7. Secured and open navigation:JAI and RIC together can ensure safe, secure and open navigation on high seas including Indo-Pacific and South China Sea.

India’s orientation towards JAI: An evaluation of India’s preference between JAI and RIC, highlights India’s greater orientation towards JAI which is buttressed by:

• Signing of LEMoAand Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) between India and US.
• India’s outright rejection of China led Belt and Road initiative (BRI)
• India’s participation in Indo-Pacific Quad grouping

Orientation towards RIC: On the flip side following events signal India’s likings for RIC:

• India’s continuing trade with Iran and Russia and its refusal to follow US imposed sanctions on both.
• S400missile deal was signed between India and Russia despite threat of sanctions by US under Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act, CAATSA.
• India, Russia and China stand together in acknowledging climate change, its affects and need to take sustained efforts for its mitigation, whereas US has withdrawn from the idea.

While balancing RIC and JAI, India needs to be cautious about following:

1. Maintaining non-aggression: In all its dealings between RIC and JAI, India must maintain non-aggression and should not be seen targeting any particular nation like China, as in Quad, where India has made clear its non-strategic orientation towards Quad.
2. Preserving its ‘strategic autonomy’: India must avoid toeing too much line of other groupings on its core principles and maintain its strategic autonomy instead in taking its decisions.
3. Not being singled out/Odd one out: Ensuring that in its efforts of acting a bridge between both India is not singled out at a later stage in the process and must create leverages on both sides.
4. Sticking to its mandate: India is a voice of developing world and must remain so and avoid aligning with super powers mandate against developing world as witnessed in its changed attitude in WTO.
5. Fast track & proactive diplomacy: Indian diplomacy would play a crucial role if India has to balance JAI and RIC. This would require fast tracking diplomatic channels, refurbishing their research activity and promoting proactive policy analysis.

Way forward:

India is perfectly placed between RIC and JAI to act as a swing state. India’s any action in the JAI and RIC conundrum has the ability to tilt the balance of power to either side. Hence it would be prudent for India to act as a balancing state between both and simultaneously create leverages in both RIC and JAI to keep one group as a guard against another for India’s benefit.