Recently, an oil tanker carrying Russian ** stuck in the sea 1,600 miles away from the Indian port of Wadnar, which attracted ** attention. The Indian side said that the US sanctions and the ** problem were the reasons for the rejection of the oil tanker, but there is a deeper reason behind the facts, which is related to the yuan!What is the story behind this international event?Russian-Indian relations have undergone earth-shaking changes in recent times. After the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, India made a lot of money by buying Russian oil, and the relationship between the two countries warmed up rapidly. Recently, however, the situation has changed significantly, and this tanker incident is a notable example.
The United States began to impose sanctions on Russian oil tankers two years ago, but during this period, India did not stop buying Russian oil, but instead increased its purchases, becoming a major buyer of Russian oil. According to statistics, India's orders for the purchase of Russian oil increased by 22 times last year. Therefore, US sanctions pressure is just an excuse for India. In fact, the real cause of tension between Russia and India is the disagreement between the two sides on the issue of the yuan. The Indian side complained that in the energy deal with Russia, Russian exporters only accept yuan and do not accept US dollars and rupees, resulting in many shipments of Indian goods not being paid on time.
As a result, India has even been threatened by two major Russian oil companies that they will divert large numbers of tankers to other destinations if they fail to pay as demanded. India has always regarded China as its biggest competitor, and Modi is trying to push for what he calls "rupee internationalization". Therefore, India believes that the use of the renminbi in the international community is a wedding dress for the internationalization of the renminbi, which will reduce the attractiveness of the rupee in the international community. In order to avoid the use of the yuan, India has even begun to look for oil exporters in addition to Russia. Russia, by contrast, sees the demand for India to use the renminbi as not deliberately embarrassing. On the contrary, Russia sees the yuan as more attractive in the international **, which is an opportunity for Russia.
In this international event, the yuan has become a key factor in Russian-Indian relations. Differences over energy transactions and the use of the renminbi have caused a rift in the already close relationship between the two countries. It also reminds us that in international relations, in addition to political factors, economic factors also play a crucial role. The oil tanker incident between India and Russia has provoked deep reflection on international political and economic relations. India has shown an opportunistic mindset in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, on the one hand, it is reluctant to sell goods to Russia, and on the other hand, it has imposed a punitive exchange rate on the Russian rupee to exchange for other currencies. Such actions not only expose India's short-sightedness, but also cause damage to India's relations with other countries.
At the same time, Russia has demonstrated a more robust and long-term strategic vision by deepening energy cooperation with China. Should India continue to adopt an opportunistic strategy at the expense of its relations with other countries?Does this behavior outweigh the losses in the long run?