The minister said India’s long-suffering approach creates a risk of normalizing terrorism
Chennai:
Foreign Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday highlighted India’s “strong and determined” response to China, which sought to unilaterally change the status quo on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in May 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic and more recently in the Tawang Sector of Arunachal Pradesh in December last year.
Speaking at the 53rd annual Tughlaq, the foreign minister said: “On the northern borders, China is trying to change the status quo by sending in large forces and violating our agreements. Remember this happened in May 2020 despite Covid the backlash was strong and firm.”
He said Indian forces stationed along the border would continue to protect the borders in the most extreme and harsh weather conditions.
“These troops, deployed in their thousands, protect our borders in the most extreme terrain and weather,” he added.
Explaining why India is now more important to the world, Mr Jaishankar said the world saw in India’s response to China that it is “a nation that will not be coerced and will do whatever it takes to ensure its national security.” .
He also stressed the geopolitical importance and geostrategic position of India.
“In the case of India, geography has added something to the case made by history of its importance. The Indian Peninsula has an apparent centrality to the ocean named after it, and there is also a continental dimension. The Asia Connectivity Initiative can really take off. The Indian Ocean is poised to take on even greater geopolitical importance today. How well India uses its location is an essential part of its importance to the world. The more it influences and participates, the greater its global holdings will increase,” he said.
This isn’t the first time Mr Jaishankar has berated China for trying to “unilaterally amend” the LAC.
Speaking to Austria’s ZIB2 podcast, a daily news program on ORF television, Mr Jaishankar had previously said: “We had an agreement not to unilaterally change the LAC, which they have tried to do unilaterally. So I think there’s a problem, a perception that we have that comes directly from our experiences.”
The Galwan Valley and Pangong Lake to the west of the LAC were last focal points between the Indian and Chinese troops. East of Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, a clash broke out between the two forces last year.
Recently, India and China held the 17th Corps Commanders’ Meeting at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side on December 20, where both sides agreed to maintain security and stability on the ground in the western sector.
The minister also praised India’s growth under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying it has resulted in the country’s improved position on the global platform. He said India has become a country that is shaping the global agenda and influencing its outcomes, citing India’s stance on the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine as a case in point.
“The basic goal was to maximize freedom of choice. Sometimes it’s by keeping a distance, sometimes by voicing an opinion… Occasionally it’s also for collaborating with others on specific issues in specific places. After all, why not use the convergences with other powers to further our own agendas,” he asked.
Mr. Jaishankar also underscored the importance of national security amid insurgency and war for transnational terrorism, particularly terrorism.
He said India’s long-suffering approach has created the danger of normalizing terrorism. Mr. Jaishankar gave examples from Uri and Balakot to underline India’s change of course in dealing with transnational terrorism.
During his address to the gathering, Mr Jaishankar also spoke about Covid-19 as he hailed Indian’s rise as a “successful producer and inventor of vaccines”.
“This time India was not only a successful producer of vaccines for itself and the world, but also an inventor of the vaccine. Now it’s another thing some people are trying to shut it down. But of course the COVID platform that allowed us to run a 2 billion+ shot operation so smoothly, what a contrast to many other parts of the world,” Mr Jaishankar said.
“Our solidarity was also expressed by providing vaccines to more than 100 partners worldwide and medicines and medicines to more than 150 nations, including developed ones. There were other developments in the same period that were just as compelling. These were developments at home,” he added.
Mr Jaishankar also said the world offers tremendous opportunities, but these come with new challenges and responsibilities.
“India matters because these cannot be separated and India counts on both points. While size and population are obvious indicators of a nation’s potential, neither in and of themselves is self-actualization,” Mr Jaishankar said.
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