We shouldn’t fear China, says EAM Jaishankar on geopolitics shaped in ‘China’s way’

Mumbai: “We shouldn’t fear Beijing. We must welcome competition and try to be better than them,” said S Jaishankar, external affairs minister,during an interaction with students at the Indian Institute of Management Mumbai on Tuesday. Admitting that China is among the world’s major economies, Jaishankar said Delhi should not fear Beijing’s tactics and focus on giving its best and strengthening diplomatic ties with other South Asian countries.

“It is India’s neighbour and is going to deploy resources and shape South Asia’s geopolitical situation in ‘China’s way’,” Jaishankar said while responding to a students question pointing out China’s continuous efforts to strengthen its ties with nations like Bangladesh, Maldives, and Pakistan.

Jaishankar emphasised the need to help neighbouring countries during difficult situations. “We are the first country who helped Sri Lanka in its crisis,” he said. He further emphasised that rather than complaining about what China is doing, he said India’s response is, “Let me do better than that.”

The event, ‘In Conversation with Dr S Jaishankar’ moderated by author Vijay Chauthaiwale, the diplomat-turned-politician touched upon the Red Sea crisis and India’s Neighbourhood First policy.

The Red Sea, a vital conduit for East-West trade, is witnessing persistent disruptions due to the Yemeni Houthi militia’s attacks on ships, causing a significant uptick in fuel and interest costs, longer voyages and straining the capacities of the logistics sector.

Jaishankar spoke about the Indian Navy’s deployment of warships in the Red Sea region to deal with attacks on merchant navy vessels. “We did it because we have a double problem; we have a piracy problem, and we have a missile drone problem.”

He added that in the past two days, INS Sumitra, the Indian navy’s offshore patrol vessel, rescued 36 crew members from two vessels, out of which 19 were Pakistani nationals.

Using the references of characters from Ramayana, Jaishankar explained diplomacy to the students. Citing an example of how India helped neighbouring countries during Covid-19, he said, “We sent out doctors, including military doctors, to many countries in the Indian Ocean, so that is where I make the connection with Ramayana.”

IIM asks BMC for elevated road

To enhance campus accessibility, IIM Mumbai has approached the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for an elevated road from the Saki Vihar Road junction. Sources from the institute said that in a letter sent to BMC, the institute emphasised having improved connectivity on Vihar Lake Road in Powai to facilitate national and international conferences and industry visits. The proposed 750-meter road aims to benefit both the institute and its stakeholders. Currently, the width of the road is between 10-12 meters.

Another concern raised by some senior professors is about the banners in front of the name board of the institute. “After much effort, the city got its premier management institute. Citizens of the city must feel proud of it, but, unfortunately, they are hiding the institute name with the banners. We urge authorities to act accordingly,” said a senior professor.