"China's growing power is more important to the United States than India's buying Russian S400 system."

India has purchased the S400 system which will be delivered to it in the first week of December and needless to say that India is going to deploy this Russian hardware on the western and eastern borders. Why the United States did not impose any restrictions on it? India or you can ask the question whether the United States will impose sanctions on India or not.

The first thing we need to understand is that India is the only country in the whole of Asia that can stand against China. Many say that America is using India. That may not be the case. In this article, all questions relating to the US-India Nexus and the arrival of the S400 missile system in India shall be analysed.

Every country has its respective interests. Admittedly, the big five countries have always exploited many countries of the world but India is no longer a small country. You have to hold your head around it. India's economy and the army come in the top five. After all, India is a huge market after China. If you pay attention, every country in the world is trying to sell something to someone in terms of consumption. After China, it is India which has the largest population. And if more and more countries are going against China, the next best choice for someone would be India so it is not easy for America to use India. There are several mutual interests between the US and India.

On the other hand, the enmity between India and China goes back to the 1950s or maybe even earlier.

A brief look into Sino-India relations:

 It's just that China does not have a system of government that ensures a peaceful succession of power from one ruler to another. After the arrival of Xi Jinping, he established a one-man rule man rule with no term limits, just as it did in the days of Mao Zedong. There is ideal no democracy in China. However, because of this they have a political party system and the aims and objectives of this single party are usually long term and fixed and that is how enmity between India and China has been a long-standing issue. Mental rigidity in both states breeds mistrust.

Understanding the US-India Nexus:

India is currently a valued partner of the United States. India-US relations have grown significantly since Trump's presidency. Today, India is a valuable Asian partner of the United States. India imports arms and ammunition from the United States.

The two countries have also actively cooperated in the fight against Covid-19. They also work on climate change. Even during the extradition to Afghanistan, the US intelligence agency had consulted with the Indian government. So, India can deal with a double standard as long as India benefits from it and this is true of almost every country in the world.

The role of the diaspora:

The number of the Indian diaspora is increasing every year in the US in all fields. A good example of this is the current Vice President Kamala Harris. Even a current American astronaut is of Indian descent. The US also has a few senators and legislators who are of Indian origin.

Security dimension:                

Both countries are part of the Quad Alliance. India also has access to US military bases in Djibouti, Africa, and Guam in the Pacific Ocean, and there are some military agreements between the United States and the Indian Armed Forces.

Economic dimension:

The United States is India's second most important trading friend, investing heavily in foreign direct investment in India. The US is the second largest source of FDI in India after Singapore.

Science and technology:

ISRO and NASA, which are moving towards science and technology, are currently working together on a joint remote sensing satellite, so there are many scientists at NASA who are of Indian descent. So it's unfair to look at things from a narrow perspective and to say that the United States is going to use India. Each country has its own interests.

Short tussle in the US-India Relations:

The Trump administration abolished the Generalised System of Preference GSP for India in 2019. GSP is basically an American trade program that prefers some developing countries. Some countries mean those that are in the American good books are in the priorities. This advantage comes in the form of reducing tariff rates to make it easier for developing countries to make a profit and enter the market of industrialized countries. Till 2019, India was the biggest beneficiary of the GSP system. In 2019, the US removed India from the GSP program. Why did they remove India because India denied American companies access to its agricultural and dairy markets and then India imposed some measures to control the prices of American medical devices in return for which the US government removed India from the GSP program. Obviously, the US government wanted to teach a lesson in return. India even banned 28 US products. Therefore, India knows how to be steadfast. It is not at all correct to think that the United States will use India. Both countries have their own interests and they know how to push each other.




What after S400 arrived in India?

After a brief summary of India-US relations, just a few of the points have been discussed. There is a lot happening between India and US, but the point is, aren't these points enough to convince us that India is a valuable partner of the US? And if Washington decides to impose sanctions on India over its purchase of the S400 system, do you think that India will not retaliate and do you think that India is not aware of the US sanctions? Trump administration Warned not to buy the S400 system. He also offered the US Thad and Patriot defence systems to India as an alternative to Russia's S400 system, but then the Indian government already signed a $5 billion deal with Russia in 2018. For India, it was only when India signed an agreement with Russia, that is when the United States brought its products only to please India, but Prime Minister Modi persevered and assured Vladimir Putin that there is no question of withdrawing from the agreement, so India has already made up its mind because there is no ambiguity on the part of India, even the United States was well aware of it.

Now, what about the US government? The US must have been upset. India knows this. Despite this, India went ahead and bought the S400 system. India might have appeased the US saying, ‘we will come forward with a much better deal.’

It shows that India cares little about the US sanctions or must have convinced the US before moving forward. The United States is fighting its opponents through a full-blown CAATSA -- Countering America’s adversaries through Sanctions Act-- which means that if any country in the world has a plan that could potentially be a threat to the US interests, the United States would ban it. For India, sanctions the chances for sanctions are minimal.

Why America is concerned about Russia’s s 400 defence system?

The US is roaming around and threatening every country that is showing interest in the S400 system. it is because of the capabilities of the S400. The Americans do not want their stealth aircraft to be anywhere near the S400 system because this Russian advanced military hardware can access the vulnerabilities of the American stealth aircraft. Now suppose that if these stealth aircraft were detected by the S400 system, then everyone with the S400 system would be aware of the weaknesses, then there would be a huge demand for weapons that would compete with the missiles and drones of the American stealth aircraft. Therefore; it is not in America's interest to help sell Russian weapons by waving off any of the nations from CAATSA. India is well aware of this. Therefore, Indian diplomacy may have convinced the US government that they do not have to worry all the time that we are good partners. Besides, America is far away. America is not a threat to India. Both are investing heavily in each other's land.


Read more: The US has a strong opponent this time: How new cold war is a bigger challenge for Uncle Sam?

Rise of China: A weakness of the US.

If you look at the current state of US-China relations, the United States sees China as an emerging power that is ready to challenge the supremacy of the United States. China's growing power is more important to the United States than India's buying Russian S400 system. As mentioned earlier, India is the only country in Asia that can stand against China, both militarily and economically. This means that the US cannot risk offending India with sanctions. In addition, the Indian government has maintained good relations with both Democrats and Republicans, which means that US lawmakers on both sides must find a way to avoid sanctions on India. India is politely asking the United States to make an exception for India and not to be dramatic about it. Thus India bought Russia's S400 defence system without worrying about what the United States would do.

It reflects India's balanced diplomatic approach. However, it has many security implications, especially for Pakistan in South Asia.