New Delhi: The Defence Ministers conference of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) hosted by India brought to the fore two key facets of countries such as China and Pakistan. Both are mutual friends – the so-called ‘iron brothers’ – but when it comes to India, both are keen on revamping the ties keeping contentious issues like terrorism and boundary dispute isolated.
In Pakistan’s case, it was attempted a number of times earlier that Islamabad is all for reopening the ties and, at the same time, keeping contentious issues away temporarily. India, on the contrary, says there can be no dialogue as long as terror and support to terror elements from across the border continue.
Several countries have backed India in principle for its stance, and even the SAARC Summit has not taken place since 2016.
In China’s case, its Defence Minister Gen Li Shangfu was categorically told by his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh last week during the bilateral meeting that military cooperation between the two countries can progress only if peace and tranquillity are established at the border. In all probability, China did not expect a neo-combative Rajnath Singh at the bilateral meeting.
On April 29 at the SCO Defence Ministers’ Conference, too, there was no let-up. Elaborating on the Indian vision of a robust framework of regional cooperation, Rajnath Singh said that the SCO should “mutually respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all member States by taking care of their legitimate interests.”
China’s expansionist designs are well known and have, in the past, troubled critical players from Japan to Taiwan.
Now China has grown ambitious even on the diplomatic front. The most recent illustration could be Beijing’s mediation between the long-feuding Saudis and Iranians. The Chinese have also offered to broker peace between the Palestinians and Israelis. Till hitherto, such a big-brother approach remained confined to Americans. But China is also a country that stands exposed even to its admirers and friends, such as Pakistan.
The rhetoric that CPEC would be a game changer for Pakistan now is proof of mere sloganeering, and even Pakistanis have realised that. Even a section of Pakistani intellectuals now says there is a need for a substantive debate over whether the majority of the people in Pakistan would benefit from a China-centric world order.
Thus, in India, one can say Rajnath Singh’s assertion was not misplaced. Rather it was apt and timely. Beijing needs to be shown its mirror and not given undue importance, for it sees itself as a genuine contender for global supremacy.
India has so far been able to tread its path carefully. It has to meticulously cultivate economic ties with the West and, at the same time, play ball with players in East Asia, Africa and also in Moscow.
About Pakistan, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh did the plain speaking and referred to the terror element at the SCO Defence Ministers Conference.
Interestingly, though Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif skipped the SCO meeting himself on April 28, Islamabad has already announced that its Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto would attend the SCO Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Goa.
“If a nation shelters terrorists, it not only poses a threat to others, but for itself too,” Rajnath Singh could not have been more emphatic. The Minister also said, adding that the radicalisation of youth is a cause for concern not only from the point of view of security but it is also a major obstacle in the path of socio-economic progress of society.
This was a case of showing a mirror to the Pakistani establishment, which is facing immense financial crises but has not yet shown the maturity of coming out of the shell of ‘hate-India’ policies.
As for New Delhi, India’s much talked about ‘The Neighbourhood First Policy’ at the instance of PM Modi accords “highest priority” to relations with all neighbours such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. The former Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla once said, “It is these countries – with the exception of Pakistan – that we work most closely with”.
“Countries in our neighbourhood are of special significance to us. Our ties with these countries are underpinned by a shared history and culture,” Harsh V Shringla stated.
India has also maintained that ties with the neighbouring countries have a ‘direct relevance’ to various states bordering these countries. India also rightly links its prosperity and growth to that of its neighbours.
It was in this spirit that the union Cabinet Secretary in 2021 wrote to all Government Ministries and Departments asking them to accord priority to India’s neighbours in their international activities, programmes and projects.
In fact, India’s foreign and security policies operate at several levels and dimensions, and China and Pakistan are given their requisite priority focus.
Of course, one can point out with regard to Pakistan and other neighbours, South Asian leaders were invited when PM Modi was sworn in for the first time in 2014. Leaders of BIMSTEC countries, which include several neighbours on the Bay of Bengal littoral, were also invited when the Government was sworn in for the second time in 2019.
India has also given importance to its ties with Bangladesh – which was created in 1971 after it broke out from Pakistan. Notably, the only country that the Indian President, Prime Minister and External Affairs Ministers have all visited since the pandemic struck has been Bangladesh.
It is worth mentioning that in the context of China, there is a need to appreciate the need for a strong bond between India and Japan. PM Modi has always underlined the importance of the India-Japan partnership for a stable Indo-Pacific.
The India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership is based on shared democratic values and respect for the rule of law in the international arena. It also seeks to promote peace, prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Japanese also favour an open Indo-Pacific that envisages India as an “indispensable partner” for preventing coercion and upholding a rules-based order. China’s territorial claims in East China and South China Seas have rattled countries in Southeast Asia as well as Japan.
