Jaishankar stated that the “world looks at us as an exceptionally strong area of growth” when discussing the success narrative of India.
Foreign Affairs Minister S Jaishankar addressed the ongoing dispute between China and India in eastern Ladakh on Saturday. He said that India has faced a “exceptionally difficult” challenge along its northern borders over the past three years, to which the nation has responded very resolutely and has been maintaining the kind of military deployment necessary for national security. He made this statement during a speech at the FICCI, outlining how the Modi administration confidently makes decision after decision, no matter how challenging or challenging they may be. It might even be the situation at our border. As you are all aware, during the past three years, we have faced many difficulties related to the difficulties on our northern frontiers,” Jaishankar stated.
“Even though this happened in the middle of Covid, yet we responded very resolutely, very determinedly and to date we are still deployed in whatever manner is necessary for our national security,” he stated. Even though the two sides completed their disengagement from various places after protracted diplomatic and military talks, the Indian and Chinese troops have been engaged in a three-year battle in some of the most sensitive areas of eastern Ladakh.
Jaishankar also described how India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, attempted to raise international awareness against terrorism or moved forward with cooperation under the Quad framework despite the perception that doing so may unnerve people and be interpreted as a subtle jab at China. “If somebody else is uncomfortable, that’s their problem,” he stated.
“In the end, we just have to do what needs to be done. however hard and challenging that may be. It’s about having the self-assurance to exercise option after choice,” he stated, adding that this kind of thinking will “define us as Bharat.” The minister of external affairs also mentioned India’s response to the threat of terrorism. “No society in the modern era is more traumatised than us when it comes to terrorism,” he stated, adding that the Modi administration had demonstrated a resolve to “shape” a global discourse on the subject. Without addressing it precisely, Jaishankar claimed that India’s decisions over energy purchases were motivated by its national interests. India continues to acquire crude oil from Russia.
“When it came to our energy purchases, our national choices and national interests were supposed to be subservient to the political correctness of other countries who by the way had made their own arrangements to soften the blow for themselves,” he stated. Despite pressure from the West to stop buying crude oil from Russia in light of the situation in Ukraine, India continued to do so.
Jaishankar stated that the “world looks at us as an exceptionally strong area of growth” when discussing the success narrative of India. “We have taken significant actions, but there is little doubt that we will do many more. We have nurtured lofty aspirations and carried out a lot of what we pledged, but there is still much more we need to accomplish,” he stated. “To me Vikshit Bharat — it is both a vision to achieve as well as a set of specific goals and a short description of it would be to really how to make India a developed country in the next 25 years,” he stated.
The minister of external affairs referred to the past five years as “very traumatic for the world” and listed several factors as causes, including the “Covid shock,” events in Afghanistan after US forces left the country, the conflict in Ukraine, the continued violence in the Middle East, and the effects of US-China competition on international supply chains. The globe is currently going towards more protectionism and increased insecurity, according to Jaishankar, who also noted that many doubts have been raised about the efficacy of the trade regulations that have been put in place over the past two to three decades.
He continued, “Today, we are really examining what happens when trade rules are manipulated, when unfair competition has occurred, and when the fears of the Covid-era have led many countries, regions, and large economies to discuss strategic autonomy.” While it is true that opening up to the outside world is beneficial, Jaishankar also stated that “opening up to the outside world must happen only when there are level playing fields for our own industry at home”.
“It cannot be at the cost of our industry and I think that is one message that the Modi government has given in a sustained manner over the last one decade,” he stated. The industrial leaders were referred to as “builders of national strength” by the minister of external affairs. “I think that is a larger responsibility that must always be in your mind,” he stated. Jaishankar also urged large corporations to support India in creating its own supply networks. “I believe it is critical to assist Indian suppliers and contribute to the development of Indian supply chains, particularly for large Indian enterprises. Because, in the end, no nation can be powerful if it lacks fundamental necessities and does not have its own supply chain,” he continued.
