Impact of another Asian superpower.

(From The Korea Herald)

By Pana Janviroj The Nation (Thailand) / Asia News Network From this side of the Indian Ocean, Thailand is closely watching the emergence of India as another Asian economic superpower. But it is not just economic interests that bind the nations together. There are a host of other shared values - things that are not always apparent in this age of runaway capitalism. Take Thailand's relationship with China as an example. Economic matters do rank high in relations between the two countries. But there are also close cultural and geographical ties, especially with southern China, and of course many Thais are of Chinese origin.

On the broader horizon, Thailand and China are working closely together on security and geopolitical issues, including efforts to bind Asian countries together under the Asia Cooperation Dialogue.

India, the world's second most populous nation, is always going to be different from China from a Thai perspective. However, the growing economic relationship between India and Thailand will remind Thais of the long-standing cultural and religious connections between the two countries. Politically, and primarily because of India's strong democracy, many Indian politicians have good relations with their Thai counterparts, particularly those from India's Congress Party and Thailand's Democrat Party. Both of these are long-established parties.

Statements from the leaders in Beijing are always going to be seen in Bangkok and elsewhere in a particular context. Those from the leaders in New Delhi will be seen in another. But with its deeply entrenched system of democracy, the words of Indian political leaders are generally more relevant to Thais than we are perhaps prepared to admit. This semantic influence, beyond the fact that India is the champion of the developing world, can only set to grow over time, given all the changes now happening in Asia. One message from New Delhi of which we should take note is Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's first address to Parliament last week. In no uncertain terms he assured all that India's economy is set to continue its strong growth, which will benefit its trading and investment partners. He also directed ...