New Delhi: Addressing the fifth Indian Ocean Summit, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday that the consequences of China’s rise and its growing capabilities are “particularly profound”.
He also flagged Beijing’s actions to “intensify tensions” on regional issues across the breadth of Asia, news agency PTI reported.
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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was speaking at the Fifth Indian Ocean Conference – IOC 2021 in Abu Dhabi, when he said that it is important that freedom of navigation, overflight and uninterrupted commerce be respected and facilitated in a globalized world.
Noting that there have been several developments having a direct impact on the well being of the Indian Ocean region, the Minister pointed to two major developments. He said the change in US strategic posture and the rise of China have influenced the development of the Indian Ocean in recent years.
“Since 2008, we have seen greater caution in US power projection and an attempt to correct its overexpansion. This can take different forms and is expressed in very different ways, but great consistency across the three administrations. This is expressed in the footprint and currency, the conditions of engagement, the extent of participation and the nature of the initiative,” the External Affairs Minister was quoted as saying by PTI.
He said that overall, America is moving toward greater realism about both itself and the world. It is adjusting to multipolarity and rebalancing and re-examining the balance between its domestic revival and overseas commitments.
Talking about China, S Jaishankar said: “The second major trend is the rise of China. Even otherwise, the rise of a power on a global scale is such an extraordinary event, that it is a different kind of politics that fuels the spirit of change. The USSR may have some similarities, but it never had the centrality to the global economy that China has today.
“The consequences of China’s growing capabilities are particularly profound because its domestic spontaneity is extrapolated to the outside world. As a result, whether it is connectivity, technology or trade, the changing nature of power and influence is now being debated. is,” he mentioned.
With reference to border tensions, the External Affairs Minister said that “separately, we have seen intensification of tensions on regional issues across Asia. Old-fashioned agreements and understandings are now being questioned. Time will answer”, PTI reported.
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Jaishankar’s remarks come at a time when India, the US and several other world powers are looking at the need to ensure a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region in the backdrop of China’s increasing military maneuvers in the region.
China claims almost all of the disputed South China Sea, while Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam all claim parts of it. Beijing’s maneuvering with the construction of artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea did not go unnoticed.
With respect to India, the Chinese military’s offensive in eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) last year triggered a border standoff between the two sides.
A standoff broke out between Indian and Chinese armies last year, following a violent clash in the Pangong Lake areas, with both sides gradually increasing their deployment of heavy weapons along with thousands of troops.
Meanwhile, apart from China, Jaishankar also talked about the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the impact of the COVID pandemic, which has significantly increased uncertainties in the Indian Ocean region which is particularly vulnerable to health and economic stress.
The theme of the fifth Indian Ocean Conference – IOC 2021 – is “Indian Ocean: Ecology, Economy, Epidemic”. The first edition of the conference was held in Singapore in 2016, followed by three successive editions in Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Maldives respectively.
(with agency input)
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