External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Thursday criticized China for its failure to observe written agreements with neighbouring countries.
Speaking at the Raisina Roundtable organised by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in Tokyo, Jaishankar highlighted the geopolitical shifts in the Indo-Pacific region and cautioned against their strategic ramifications.
“There is the reality of very big power shifts in the Indo-Pacific. When there are shifts in the power capabilities and influence and ambitions, then there are all accompanying and strategic consequences, ” Jaishankar said.
Commenting on the deteriorating relationship between India and China, Jaishankar said: “Our own experience in the case of China….is between 1975 and 2020, which is really 45 years, there was no bloodshed on the border. In 2020, it changed. We disagreed on many things. When a country doesn’t observe written agreements with a neighbour. I think you have cause for concern here. It raises a question mark about the stability of the relationship and frankly, about the intentions.”
Jaishankar underscored India’s strengthening bilateral relations with several nations, emphasizing the free trade agreements with Australia and UAE. He also mentioned the advanced stage of negotiations with the UK and the European Union
Commenting on the Middle East, Jaishankar said that despite divisions and frictions in the region, India has managed to maintain its relations with all the Gulf states as well as with Egypt and Israel.
“Within the region, we have managed to navigate the challenges, divides and frictions. But if I were to look at it globally today, India, which till the early 90s was very reliant on the Soviet world and then broadened it out, built its relations in the East with ASEAN and north-east Asia…In the last decade, we have invested a lot of efforts in the Middle East and Europe, and the US relationship has matured.”
On the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Jaishankar said that Russia’s worsening ties with the Western countries has presented an opportunity for Asian countries, including India, to collaborate with Moscow as it is looking for “multiple options.”
” If you look at the last two years, because of the Ukraine conflict, the Russia- Western relationship has broken down. Economically, it means a lot of access it had to the Western world is not there…you have the prospect of Russia turning more and more to Asia. We are already seeing a flow of Russian trade, investments and resources and collaborations towards Asian destinations…it has very interesting implications for us in Asia, because like other big powers, Russia will want to have multiple options,” he said.
