In many ways, China is a “challenging neighbor” for India, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said at an event March 26.
Speaking at an Indian economic conference on Friday, S. Jaishankar also noted the “wisdom” of the recent agreement between Indian and Pakistani military commanders that both sides observe the 2003 cease-fire on the line of control in Jammu and Kashmir. To a question on whether China has become indispensable in the Indian economic calculus, Sujetsen replied that China has a prominent position in the global economy.
I don’t think anybody can deny that,” said Sujesen. I think people need to appreciate what they’ve done with their national capabilities over the last 40 years or so.” He spoke of how the Chinese have thought longer-term than the West in many ways , including former U.S. President Richard Nixon and his secretary of state, Kissinger. It’s not just Nixon and his administration that the Chinese have outsmarted, Sugarson said, but “their successors who will follow.” “It’s not just the U.S., it’s the whole West, which explains why they are where they are today,” he added.
However, given the many “contradictions and frictions,” the future is not clear, according to Sugarson. But when it comes to us, he said, “we need to ask ourselves: So we have this neighbor, and they’re doing a great job. So do we stand there with our hands in our pockets and marvel at what they’re doing, or is this an incentive that I need to strengthen my competitiveness and my capacity as well and so on.” He clarified that the comment was not a political statement, but an observation on international relations and even domestic governance.
Sujesen said, “When Rajiv Gandhi (former Indian prime minister) went to China in 1988, our economies were about the same size, and look at the difference today. So for me, I’ve always seen the lessons of China’s growth.” He added, “For me, in many ways, yes, China is a neighbor, and a challenging one in many ways.”
Indian Army Chief MM Naravane, speaking at the same event on Thursday, said separately, “If we want to prosper as a nation, we want a secure environment ……. The Indian Army is here to serve the people of India and we will never let you down.” He assured that “not an inch of India’s territory has been conceded to China.” Naravani noted, while hoping that the Chinese side would abide by the guiding terms of the agreement on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between the two countries.
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