Prof. Dr. Rajaram Panda from the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) (Photo: VNA) New Delhi (VNA) – Vietnam is an important factor in promoting relationsbetween India and ASEAN, as it has a special relationship with India, which isreflected in deepening bilateral relationship between the two countries in allaspects, an Indian scholar has affirmed.
Prof. Dr. Rajaram Panda from the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) underthe Indian government made the remarks in an interview granted to India-basedVietnam News Agency’s correspondent on the occasion of the ongoing 37th ASEAN Summit and related meetings.
Regarding Vietnam's role in ASEAN and in the relations between the bloc and powers,Panda said Vietnam has taken on a good role as the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2020.
The Southeast Asian nation not only effectively controlled the COVID-19pandemic in a timely manner, but also shared its experiences with othercountries in the work, he said, noting this shows that Vietnam is a responsiblecountry in the global political arena.
For the Regional Comprehensive EconomicPartnership (RCEP), he said thereis not any possibility that India will change its decision to join theagreement.
There have been a lot of debates and exchange of views among Indian analystsand policymakers about whether to uphold or reverse the stance, but it isunlikely that the Indian government will change its decision unless issuesrelated to the East Asian country’s economic interests and the trade imbalance aresolved, he noted.
India will also have an unfavourable trade balance ahead of most ASEANcountries if it joins the agreement because the Indian government is responsiblefor protecting its domestic production industry, he said.
For these reasons, Panda said he does not see any possibility that India willchange its stance on the agreement during the fourth RCEP Summit, and even inthe coming time, if the economic benefits of this country are not guaranteed./.
VNA
