External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, on September 26 (local time), highlighted India-China relations that have gone through cycles of conflict and cooperation over nearly 75 years and said that the relationship between the two nations has not been easy.
“I was the ambassador in 2009, right after the global financial crisis, till 2013. I saw the change of guard in China, and then I came to the US. It has never been an easy relationship. It always had its share of problems,” Dr S Jaishankar said at the ‘Discussion at Council on Foreign Relations’ in New York.
He said that despite the history of war and military incidents, there hasn’t been a military or combat fatality on the border since 1975.
“It had a war in 1962, it had military incidents after that. But after 1975, there’s never been a military, a combat fatality on the border,” added Dr S Jaishankar.
However, calling it one of the ‘pleasures’ to deal with China, Dr S Jaishankar said that there is always certain ambiguity as the Chinese never actually tell the reason behind their actions.
“One of the pleasures of dealing with China is that they never quite tell you why they do things, so you often end up trying to figure it out. There is always certain ambiguity, said Dr S Jaishankar”.
The EAM further said that the Indo-China relationship has never been an easy one and has always had its share of problems.
India and China’s strained relationship has been fueled by recent Chinese provocations, including releasing the 2023 edition of its “standard map”, staking a claim over Arunachal Pradesh, Aksai Chin region and denial of visas to Indian athletes in the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Dr S Jaishankar also said that today, India is one of the few countries that has the ability to bridge the sharp East-West polarisation and North-South divide.
“One of the contradictions and it was very visible at the G20. You have a much sharper East-West polarisation, whose immediate, but not only cause is the conflict in Ukraine. You have particularly because of Covid, but not only because of Covid, a very deep North-South divide. And I would say we are one of the few countries, who have the ability to actually bridge both these issues,” he said.
He further emphasised the number of groupings and blocs that India has become a part of lately.
“It’s interesting if you look at the last decade. We have become members of more organisations. QUAD, after 2008 was revived in 2017. It’s been upgraded steadily, it has become at the level of President in 2021,” the EAM said.
He added, “The most recent is the India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor. We have a grouping called the I2U2, which involves India, Israel, the US and the UAE. We joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. We have a few more organisations of a more local proximate nature”.
EAM Jaishankar raises concern over “steady increase in Chinese naval presence” in Indian Ocean
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar raised concern over the “steady increase in Chinese naval presence” in the Indian Ocean and called “to prepare for a far greater presence of Beijing than seen ever before.”
Speaking at the ‘Discussion at Council on Foreign Relations’ in New York, Jaishankar said, “Last 20 -25 years, there has been a steady increase in the Chinese naval presence and activity in the Indian Ocean, but there has been a very sharp increase in the size of Chinese naval. When you have a very much bigger navy, that navy is going to be visible in terms of its deployment somewhere.”
The EAM further said that New Delhi does watch these developments “very carefully” for any security implications.
“In our own case, we have seen Chinese port activity, and buildings, you mentioned Gwadar, there is a port called Hambantota in Sri Lanka. There are a few others. In many cases, I would say looking back, the Governments of the day, and the policymakers of the day perhaps underestimated the importance of this and how these ports could work in the future. Each one is quite unique in a way,” Dr S Jaishankar said.
He added, “We obviously do watch many of them very carefully for any security implications…From an Indian point of view, it’s very reasonable for us to prepare for a far greater Chinese presence than we have seen before.”
China has significantly expanded its engagements in the Indian Ocean region over the past three decades, raising fears among American and Indian strategists that its growing naval presence, together with its use of so-called “debt-trap diplomacy,” might provide it with meaningful military advantages far from its shores.
Although China’s ultimate aims in the Indian Ocean remain somewhat ambiguous, it is clear that the Chinese leadership is actively pursuing capabilities that would allow it to undertake a range of military missions in the region.
(with inputs from ANI)
