Even the Japanese, the most careful and astute businessmen, are now finding it difficult dealing with the Indian Government over the construction of the Indian high-speed-railway. Whatever right contact in India still has to be those close to the Modi Government. So, it inevitably means only those close to Modi, like Adani, TATA and corrupted politicians are the right contacts.
Japan is now snarled in an Indian trap constructing the high-speed-railway for India. Japan wanted to make sure of being the only country to monopolize high-speed-railway construction in India going forward, thus giving India all the incentives like low interest rate for loans of up to 80% that others like China would never want to touch.
Japan got the contract of building India's high-speed-railway, and is now suffering the consequences, not knowing whether that 80% loan is ever going to be repaid. One thing is for sure, with all the bitching going on about delays and added costs, such will definitely be a huge factor when repayment comes around. To add insult to injury, India ditched Japan for European tech in rail-switching equipment. That is going to be a disaster for India, the same as buying fighter jets from many sources and then trying to get them to work together.
Issues will be raised that will give India a reason to hold the Japanese hostage now over the loans. In any case that is what the Japanese were hoping for - to be building railways for India till eternity. But the Japanese did not get what they wished for.
China must be counting its blessing that it did not get to build India's high-speed rail. Otherwise, what happened to Japan is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ripping China off. Japan is a close ally of India, and both are members of QUAD, a bloc countering China. China is more of an enemy than just a neighbor in the eyes of and the agenda of India.
What are friends of India like Japan for, other than for skinning and being used as proxies when the time comes. It is just a leaf taken from the USA playbook. India, the self-declared rising superpower, is learning early the modus operandi of the USA.
Anonymous
India is learning the modus operandi of the USA but lacks the substance. Its military is weak but overhyped. In fact, India did not rank among the top three military powers and is ranked below Russia's third placing. The Indians are not raving mad, claiming that in terms of GDP, Russia is nowhere near to India, lol.
ReplyDeleteBut India's GDP is suspect which even the IMF does not concur and has raised questions with. More than that, even Indian academics themselves are not convinced that India's GDP growth is real. The poverty, the lack of amenities, the poor infrastructures like roads and rails, and corruption have often been cited to counter the balloon blowing. The Indian Government is great for spending on glamor projects, like bidding for the Olympics, but not much to improve the ground. Moreover, India's GDP growth is all a matter of moving goalposts like comparing with the lowest starting base, which had been caught red-handed. Some analysts have been saying that India's 7% GDP growth is a mirage and more likely just half of that in reality.
But the Indian people are too dull of mind to notice it, only believing in what Modi's Government is trotting out. That is the behavior of a cult following the positioning of Hindu fanaticism at its core. The same as the MAGA base cult in the USA.
Correction
DeleteThe Indians are raving mad,.....(under first paragraph)
My apologies. Anon 9.49