Few anticipated turn in India's ties with China: Jaishankar
Mar 24, 2022
New Delhi [India], March 24 : Underlining the responsibility of Indian diplomacy to create a wide set of options for contingencies, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Thursday said nobody had anticipated the turn of India's bilateral ties with China.
Delivering St Stephen's MRF Distinguished Alumni Annual Lecture, he said, "Few would have anticipated the turn that India's relations took with China in the last two years. Any prudent policymaker backs its posture with capabilities and deterrence."
"A big responsibility of Indian diplomacy is there to create the widest set of options for such contingencies. This could mean the acquisition of defence capabilities and other supportive measures or securing the understanding of our policies and actions from the international community," he added.
During his address, Jaishankar described the 2015 land boundary agreement with Bangladesh as a "notable achievement" of the Modi government. He said this agreement has had a positive impact on the security situation in the east.
"More than that it has opened up possibilities of economic cooperation and connectivity for the entire subregion," he added.
Jaishankar also noted a different challenge is being faced on the western border vis-a-vis Pakistan.
"On that front, the initial goal of diplomacy was to expose and delegitimise Pakistan's cross border terrorism and counteractions which required such as Uri in 2016 and Balakot in 2019. Effective diplomacy ensured a global understanding of India's action," he added.
Speaking more on China, the external affairs minister said, the diplomatic interaction with China that is going on in parallel to the military standoff since May 2020, illustrate that foreign and defence policy are joined at the hip. "Here too, the value of global support is self-evident," he said.
Noting the "nimbleness" of India's foreign policy, he said the leveraging of a multipolar world has been particularly visible in terms of weapons and technologies needed by our defence forces.
"A Rafale aircraft accusation from France can take place at the same time as an MH-60r helicopter or an aircraft from the United States. The S-400 missile system from Russia or Spice bombs from Israel, speaks volumes of our nimbleness," the EAM added.
"These are typically accompanied by military exercises and policy exchanges that bring about greater strategic comfort. In short, diplomacy supports, empower and facilitates the national security efforts," he added.
