Retort to the US: India rising on own strength, not others’ mistakes, says EAM
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Saturday said the direction of India’s rise is clear and will be determined by the country’s own strength.
His remarks came two days after US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said that while the United States would like to partner with India in its rise, Washington would not make “the same mistakes” with New Delhi as it did with Beijing two decades ago by aiding its economic rise.
“The rise of India will be determined by India. It will be determined by our strength, not by the mistakes of others,” Dr. Jaishankar told the audience on the last day of this year’s Raisina Dialogue, the annual international security conference organised by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi, where Landau also spoke on Thursday.
The India–US relations were strained after US President Donald Trump announced higher tariffs on India last year. Bilateral ties have since moved closer to normalcy earlier this year, with a trade deal currently under discussion. However, Landau’s comments suggest that differences persist between the two countries.
Speaking at a session on the future of the Indian Ocean Region, Dr. Jaishankar noted that this is the only ocean named after a country.
“The Indian Ocean is the only ocean named after a country because we are right in the middle of it,” he said, adding that the rest of the region could view India’s rise as “a lifting tide.”
“I am not saying there are no challenges to India’s rise. But the direction of India’s rise is very clear,” he added.
Dr. Jaishankar also said India had acted “out of humanity” in allowing an Iranian naval ship to dock in Kochi, Kerala, after the conflict in West Asia involving the United States, Israel and Iran began on February 28.
Another Iranian naval ship, IRIS Dena, which was near Sri Lanka at the time, sank after it was hit by a US Navy torpedo. Dozens of Iranians on board were reportedly killed.
