NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said that India responded very resolutely to the “exceptionally difficult” challenge along the northern borders in the last three years, referening to the military tensions with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Jaishankar, who was speaking at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), said that India has maintained the kind of military deployment necessary for national security.
The minister said that the Modi government consistently makes confident decisions, regardless of how challenging or tough they might appear.
“It could even be what happens at our border. Again you all know in the last three years, we have had an exceptionally difficult time in terms of the challenges on our northern borders,” Jaishankar said.
“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 said.
Jaishankar was referring to the deadly faceoff between India and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh in 2020, which led to the death of 20 Indian soliders and an undisclosed number of Chinese troops.
Since then, both sides have been locked in an over three-year confrontation in certain friction points in eastern Ladakh despite completing disengagement from several areas following extensive diplomatic and military talks.
During his address, Jaishankar explained how India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, tried to create global awareness against terrorism or went ahead for cooperation under the Quad framework though there was a narrative that it could make somebody uncomfortable, seen as an oblique reference to China.
“If somebody else is uncomfortable, that’s their problem,” he said.
“At the end of the day, we have to do what we have to do. however difficult and tough that is. It is about the confidence of being able to exercise choice after choice,” he said adding such an approach will “define us as Bharat”.
Talking about the India growth story, Jaishankar said there is no question that the “world looks at us as an exceptionally strong area of growth”.
“We have made big decisions but we are clearly poised to make many more. We have nursed big ambitions, we have implemented much of what we promised but again there are still a lot we have to achieve,” he said.
“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 added.
The external affairs minister described the last five years as a “very traumatic for the world” and cited as reasons the “Covid shock”, developments in Afghanistan following withdrawal of the US troops, the impact of Ukraine conflict, the ongoing violence in the Middle-East and the implications of the competition between the US and China on global supply chains.
(With inputs from PTI)
Jaishankar, who was speaking at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), said that India has maintained the kind of military deployment necessary for national security.
The minister said that the Modi government consistently makes confident decisions, regardless of how challenging or tough they might appear.
“It could even be what happens at our border. Again you all know in the last three years, we have had an exceptionally difficult time in terms of the challenges on our northern borders,” Jaishankar said.
“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 said.
Jaishankar was referring to the deadly faceoff between India and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh in 2020, which led to the death of 20 Indian soliders and an undisclosed number of Chinese troops.
Since then, both sides have been locked in an over three-year confrontation in certain friction points in eastern Ladakh despite completing disengagement from several areas following extensive diplomatic and military talks.
During his address, Jaishankar explained how India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, tried to create global awareness against terrorism or went ahead for cooperation under the Quad framework though there was a narrative that it could make somebody uncomfortable, seen as an oblique reference to China.
“If somebody else is uncomfortable, that’s their problem,” he said.
“At the end of the day, we have to do what we have to do. however difficult and tough that is. It is about the confidence of being able to exercise choice after choice,” he said adding such an approach will “define us as Bharat”.
Talking about the India growth story, Jaishankar said there is no question that the “world looks at us as an exceptionally strong area of growth”.
“We have made big decisions but we are clearly poised to make many more. We have nursed big ambitions, we have implemented much of what we promised but again there are still a lot we have to achieve,” he said.
“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 added.
The external affairs minister described the last five years as a “very traumatic for the world” and cited as reasons the “Covid shock”, developments in Afghanistan following withdrawal of the US troops, the impact of Ukraine conflict, the ongoing violence in the Middle-East and the implications of the competition between the US and China on global supply chains.
(With inputs from PTI)