Should India finally sell Brahmos to Vietnam?

India has always remained in a state of confusion whether it should sell Brahmos to Vietnam and Philipines. It has been more than a decade old proposal. New Delhi always feared that China may become aggressive if it supplies weapons to China's neighbours.

India expressed interest in selling Brahmos anti-ship cruise missiles to Vietnam in 2011. Since 2014, the government has been in discussions with Vietnam to supply it the BrahMos anti-ship cruise missile with a 292 km range, as part of New Delhi’s proliferating bilateral strategic and military ties with Hanoi and to counter an increasing militarist China. Although Brahmos can be launched from land, sea, and air; the talks were held only to sell anti-ship subsonic cruise missile because of threat from the Chinese Navy. India's aim was primarily to stop Chinese harassment of the Vietnamese navy in the South China Sea and Brahmos would keep Chinese warships at bay. The everlasting threat that has remained in the mind of China is that India as a democracy if it grows, is a threat to CCP and China. India's move can counter the Chinese military assistance of Pakistan because, for China, Pakistan is a blessing.

A country which is fully obsessed with India and which has raged multiple wars against India. It openly says it has only one enemy in the region that is India. Although China may have minor issues with its neighbours, none of its neighbours is as much as obsessed with China as it is the case with India.  China's neighbours have never raged war against China nor they are involved in spreading terrorism in the country also none of them have nuclear weapons.

So selling Brahmos will bring Business for both India and Russia. But India can only provide weapons to China's neighbours to create leverage. It cannot create that threat which Pakistan creates on India

The late defence minister Manohar Parrikar held extensive consultations with his Vietnamese counterpart, General Ngo Xuan Lich, in Hanoi in June 2016 on transferring BrahMos to its longstanding ally in south-east Asia. These talks included the option of stationing a team of Indian technicians in Hanoi to provide the Vietnamese military instruction on the BrahMos. Also pushing its advantage, India also opened talks with Vietnam in late 2016 over the possible sale to Hanoi of its indigenously developed Akash surface-to-air (SAM) missile system, which is currently deployed at Indo Tibetian Border, with a 25km strike range against aerial targets like fighters, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.

But after Doklam, China objected this deal through various channels. India assumed that if we close the matter for some time, China will not be angry but happened just the opposite. It provided Pakistan with weapons, raised JK issue at multiple forums and downplayed terrorism issue at UNSC. Until Galwan Valley incidence, India thought its decision could reduce China's aggression. But we must understand India does anything or not, China will maintain its aggression against India.

According to the Global Firepower Index 2020, China is at third; Vietnam: 22; India: 4. In a post-Galwan valley incident scenario, it is about time that India considers to finally push through the Brahmos missile deal. Because it doesn't matter whether India takes aggressive mode or not, China's aggression will remain.