Shadow of pandemic a reality, but crises open space for growth: Foreign Secy Shringla

Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla said India and China resolved some borders while there are a few more to resolve and mentioned the decisive, visionary and committed leadership the country is having.

New Delhi: Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla, on Wednesday, Nov 24, said that while the "shadow of the pandemic" is a fact of life, it also ought to be underlined that this is also a moment of 'opportunity' and a period of growth.

"We meet in the shadow of the pandemic. The past two years have been, in some ways, among the most challenging in living memory. Yet, paradoxically, this is a moment of opportunity. All crises are followed by periods of growth," Mr Shringla said, addressing the annual session of The Indian Chamber of Commerce. He said today's India, or as a 75-year-old nation, is "very different from the India of 1925". 

"It is the tomorrow that the founders of this institution worked towards. That India would have a role in world affairs would have been little more than an aspiration at the time this Chamber was founded. India was still a subject nation and independence, a distant dream. Independence, the trauma of Partition, and the struggles of emerging nationhood were in the future," he said. The Foreign Secretary said India has traversed a long journey. 

"It has been a difficult journey and many more challenges lie ahead. There is, however, much to be proud of. We are a country with a track record of resilience, of achievement and of constant endeavour. We remain an aspirational country," said the foreign secretary.

He stressed that India is a nation today that "wants to make a difference". "We remain a country that will not be daunted by the challenges before us," he said and mentioned the decisive, visionary and committed leadership.

During the interaction on the China front, he said both the countries have held several rounds of talks on the border issues and resolved some of them.

"We have resolved some of the issues, but there are still some outstanding issues and until we can resolve those issues, obviously we will not be in a normal relationship mode," he said.

He admitted that while trade between two Asian giants "continues," there are investment ties that continue, but "all of this has to be examined very carefully and the government is examining all these options very, very carefully."