India is not in competition with China in pursuing cooperation with foreign nations, Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari told Indian reporters on enroute to five day tour to African countries Rwanda and Uganda.

"We are not in competition with China or anyone else, as far as our development cooperation with foreign countries is concerned, particularly in Africa," Ansari said.

Like Us on Facebook

The Indian Vice President said that India's cooperation with African nations was purely for the sake of development, but claimed that decision is entirely left on them if they want to use "Indian knowledge and expertise." Without making any direct comparison with China, he lamented that India's diplomacy faces "financial constrains."  

He added that his visit to Rwanda and Uganda was "part of the conscious effort of the [Indian] government to strengthen our interaction with the countries of the African continent."  Notably, this is the first high-level visit from India to Rwanda and first to Uganda since 1997.

India over the years has shored up its efforts to reach out to the African continent, a region which was presumably ignored by India foreign ministry for a very long time. However, now New Delhi is more than making up for it, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently visiting four African nations while Indian President Pranab Mukherjee visiting three African countries lately.   

Indian vice president's comment of not being in competition with China is most likely to be shrugged off by most foreign analysts, who have repeatedly claimed that both Asian giants are locked in a sort of cold war to increase their clout across strategic regions in the world.

These arguments get credence from the fact that both countries have been openly trying to seek footprint in each other's traditional region. China has been aggressively pursuing policy to warm up relation with all the major South Asian countries including India's close allies like Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh.

India, on other hand, has been trying forge economic and military relation with China's neighbours Vietnam and Philippines, both of whom are claimants in South China Sea.

TagsIndia, china, India and China, Indian Vice President, Hamid Ansari