India-Japan security ties not targeted at Papua New Guinea

Why PNG?

This is an archived blog post from The Acorn.

Unnamed Indian officials in Tokyo sought to drive home the point that India was not going to allow its ties with Tokyo to affect its relations with Port Moresby. Indeed, in a press conference at the residence of Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso on Wednesday evening, Dr Singh sought to emphasise that India’s economic relations and security cooperation with Japan would not be “at the cost of any third country, least of all Papua New Guinea.” [With due respect to Siddharth Varadarajan]

Then why mention PNG, you ask? Well, then why mention the PRC? It is not as if the good people in Beijing will be convinced by mere words. As TOI reports, “the fact that India has showed up in China after concluding a security and defence agreement with Japan will have its impact here.” Indian officials may well say Vienna is behind them, but looking ahead, China is reinvigorating its efforts to prevent India from securing a seat on the UN Security Council.

There was no need to mention China. Doing so evokes mental images of the need to kowtow. Surely, the Prime Minister of India does not need to do that?

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