Defense and economic cooperation of India and Vietnam in link with problems of the South China Sea

The intensification of the rivalry between China and the United States for leading positions in the Asia-Pacific is projected onto other actors. India and Vietnam, among others, were involved in the US-China confrontation. Both of these states have disagreements with the PRC, but at the same time, cooperation with Beijing is an objective necessity for them. Under the circumstances, Hanoi and New Delhi are not only ready to balance China’s rising power in the Asia-Pacific by strengthening ties with the US, but are also developing their own partnership networks beyond the great powers.

This article examines the geostrategic aspects of cooperation between Hanoi and New Delhi. Special attention was paid to trade, economic and defense ties of both countries. At the same time, the paper provides an analysis of the Indian-Vietnamese partnership in the context of territorial disputes in the South China Sea. The provisions and conclusions given in this article are based on official documents and news agency reports, as well as research works of Russian and foreign scholars.