Miller Publishes Column on Indian Diplomacy in Africa
Manjari Chatterjee Miller, Associate Professor of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, published an article in Hindustan Times on Indian-African diplomacy. This is the tenth of Miller’s monthly columns in Hindustan Times.
In the article, titled “The story of Indian diplomacy in Africa,” Miller discusses India’s vaccine diplomacy with African nations, the history of the trade and diplomatic ties between the two countries, and China’s recent economic footprint that has trumped that of India’s. India has a deep diplomatic history with African nations, and it has continued this through the COVID-19 pandemic; however, as Miller points out, China has become an attractive alternative for foreign investment through its Belt and Road Initiative as well as COVID-19 vaccines.
Were India more forward thinking with its own vaccine rollout, Miller argues that the country could have made huge diplomatic strides in Africa.
An excerpt:
Because of the social capital India has in Africa, acquired through the historical, political, economic and people-to-people ties mentioned here, its presence is welcomed by African countries in a way that China’s is not. There is not a whiff, for example, of the accusations of neo-imperialism aimed at Chinese companies…Thus, India’s vaccine diplomacy could have paid off. Although China has also been offering its vaccines to African nations, there are serious doubts about their efficacy.
The full op-ed can be read on Hindustan Times‘ website.
Manjari Chatterjee Miller is Associate Professor of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. She works on foreign policy and security issues with a focus on South and East Asia. Her most recent book, Routledge Handbook of China–India Relations (Routledge & CRC Press, 2020), is the comprehensive guide to the Chinese-Indian relationship covering expansive ideas ranging from the historical relationship to current disputes to AI. Learn more about her on her Pardee School faculty profile.