Abe to Cash In on Modi Friendship as China Dominates Trade

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s personal friendship with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi is starting to yield more tangible results, with the nations close to signing deals on defense equipment and India’s first high-speed rail link.

On a three-day visit to the world’s biggest democracy this weekend, Abe will seek to nail down some concrete achievements to counter China’s increasing assertiveness in the region. The nations have a long way to go: Trade between them is about 5 percent of China’s commerce with Japan, and less than a quarter of its transactions with India.

“The relationship between India and Japan is perhaps the best it has ever been, largely because they have prime ministers who look at the region and the world in very similar terms,” said Harsh Pant, professor of international relations at King’s College London. “They are very nationalistic, center-right prime ministers who have a certain idea about the rise of China and about its implications for both these states.”

The close personal ties between the two leaders are helping bring the countries closer. Modi is one of a handful of people whom Abe follows on Twitter, where the pair occasionally exchange public messages. When Modi visited Japan last year, Abe took the unusual step of showing him around the ancient capital of Kyoto. This week, after their fifth formal summit, they are set to visit Varanasi for a Hindu ritual at the Ganges river.

Abe arrives on Friday for a meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj before addressing a seminar at a five-star hotel in New Delhi, according to a schedule from the Indian government. On Saturday he meets with business leaders and India’s president before he meets Modi for a summit and trip to Varanasi. Read More…

Abe to Cash In on Modi Friendship as China Dominates Trade