Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

S Jaishankar: ‘Delhi’s global interests shape its regional ties'

External affairs minister S Jaishankar calls for stable India-China relationship

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar with  Wang Yi (right)

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar with Wang Yi (right)

INDIA today sees itself as a global power or, at least, a country with global interests, which is why Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has spoken of its equation with Russia, China and notably the Middle East.

India’s external affairs minister was in conversation last Wednesday (5) in London with Bronwen Maddox, director of the Royal Institute of International Affairs at Chatham House.


India generally refers to the Middle East as “West Asia” because the term denotes its civilisational and trade ties with this region. And these, as Jaishankar emphasised, are deep.

Following the attack on non doms by the Labour chancellor Rachel Reeves, many Indian (and other) investors are leaving the UK for Dubai. That India has extensive interests in the Gulf makes their transition easier. It is said that while political leadership remains with the Arabs, the management of the region has long been with the Indians.

Jaishankar said: “Obviously, we have significant interests, depending on how you define the Middle East. If you were to include the Gulf, we have more than 10 million Indians actually (resident there). Our exports to the Gulf alone would be close to $100 billion (£77.3bn).

“Our trade with the Mediterranean is close to $80bn-$85bn (£61.8bn-£65.7bn). The Mediterranean has almost half a million Indians living in the littoral states. If one looks at the economic footprint, whether it’s in the Mediterranean countries, whether it’s in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) countries, whether it’s in the Gulf, there isn’t a country where there isn’t some kind of significant Indian project, business, (or) infrastructure activity.”

Jaishankar talked of the Gaza war: “We have a position which is very objective and balanced. We do condemn terrorism and hostage taking. We do believe that countries have a right to respond to that, but we also believe that humanitarian law should be observed in undertaking operations. We do think there’s an urgent need to get relief and rehabilitation done in Gaza, and we will remain a strong advocate for a twostate solution.”

There are Indian peacekeeping forces deployed by the UN in “both in Lebanon and in the Golan Heights. We have been engaging pretty much all the players – Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf countries – but our sense right now is it’s largely the countries in the region and the United States who have the initiative. Our interests are there’s some kind of lasting solution.”

Asked about the lack of direct flights between India and China and allowing journalists in each other’s countries, he said the relationship depended on whether there was peace and tranquillity in the border areas. “If the border is unstable or is not peaceful, obviously, it will have consequences.”

He explained how the relationship was “badly disrupted” by “what China did along the line of actual control in 2020.

“In October 2024, we were able to resolve many of the urgent issues pertaining to that, what we call disengagement of groups who had been deployed. There was a meeting between prime minister (Narendra) Modi and president Xi (Jinping) in Kazan and I myself have met (Chinese) foreign minister Wang Yi. Our national security advisor visited China, and we are discussing with China some steps to see how the relationship can go in a more predictable and stable and positive direction.”

Jaishankar mentioned a positive step – “the resumption of pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, which is in Tibet. Hindu pilgrims have been going there for ages”.

“What kind of relationship do we want with China? We actually have, by any standard, a very unique relationship. First of all, we are the only two billion plus population countries in the world. Both of us have very long history. We’ve had the ups and downs in our history. You have today both countries on an upward trajectory.

“Now, when two countries of this size, this history, this complexity, this consequence, rise broadly in parallel, obviously they have an interplay with each other. The issue is, how do you create stable equilibriums? We want a stable relationship. But we want a relationship where our interests are respected, where our sensitivities are recognised, where it works for both of us. That has really been the challenge in the relationship.”

On the Ukraine-Russia war, “we have spoken our mind to both countries, both leaders,” he said. “Our view has been that they need to do direct negotiations.”

But India had twice acted as gobetween – when nuclear reactors and grain shipments were threatened. “Every time we’ve had a significant and useful conversation with either of them, we have taken the approval of (Russian) president (Vladimir) Putin to share this with the Ukrainians and president (Volodomyr) Zelensky to share it with the Russians. We haven’t done a peace plan. We don’t think that is appropriate. We have done whatever was the right thing to do in a helpful manner.”

In 80 countries in the global south, India had delivered “about 600 significant projects” in recent years, the minister revealed. “India’s position in a multi-polar world is helpful for the global south as well.”

And in its own region, when Sri Lanka faced a serious financial crisis, “we came forward with a package of more than $4bn (£3.09bn), which was almost twice the size of the IMF package”.

And with other countries in the region, “whether it’s Bangladesh, Nepal, even Myanmar”, there has been greater connectivity – “and by connectivity, I’m talking here of roads, waterways, electricity, grid connections, fuel supplies, movement of people. In the last 10 years on the ground, the real economy is experiencing a very, very profound kick.”

On human rights and the treatment of minorities, he said: “We have been, for political reasons, at the receiving end of expressions and sometimes even campaigns on human rights. We listen to it. We’re not perfect. Nobody is perfect. There can be situations which require redress and remedy. But I would argue that if one looks around the world, we have a very strong human rights record. Any sort of sweeping concern on human rights is really misplaced.”

He set out how India saw the world and sought to “customise” its relationship with individual countries: “Our endeavour, at least, for the last decade, has been to try to see if you can develop the big relationships and the non big relationships as well in parallel. We understand that each one of them is different. Sometimes the issues are different.

“I think in each case, it has to be customised. It has to be assessed. You look at what are the advantages, and what are the challenges, and you arrive at a certain position of equilibrium. And the country which has the maximum flexibility and the least problems is obviously better off. That’s where India is.” (See related report on page 17)

More For You

India hosts six of world’s nine most polluted cities

New Delhi was the world’s most polluted capital

India hosts six of world’s nine most polluted cities

DESPITE an improvement in 2024, India again dominated global rankings for the cities with the most dangerous particle smog while Chad was the most polluted country, according to a report published on Tuesday (11).

The report by IQAir, a Swiss air technology company, said India’s Byrnihat was the world’s “most polluted metropolitan area of 2024”.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tamil Nadu Education

Tamil, one of the oldest living languages in the world, is a source of pride for the state’s people

Getty images

Education or imposition? Tamil Nadu battles India government over Hindi in schools

A war of words has erupted between Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister MK Stalin and the federal government over the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which recommends a three-language formula in schools, with two of the three being native to India. Stalin has voiced strong objections, claiming that the policy could lead to the imposition of Hindi, a northern Indian language, in non-Hindi-speaking states like Tamil Nadu. The issue has reignited old tensions between southern states and the central government over the privileging of Hindi.

Historical resistance to Hindi

Tamil Nadu has a deep-rooted history of opposing the promotion of Hindi, dating back to the 1960s. Protests broke out in the state when the federal government attempted to make Hindi the sole official language, leading to a compromise that allowed the continued use of English. Language in Tamil Nadu is not merely a means of communication but a powerful symbol of cultural identity. Tamil, one of the oldest living languages in the world, is a source of pride for the state’s people. As a result, any perceived threat to its prominence is met with strong resistance.

Keep ReadingShow less
IMF warns Sri Lanka’s recovery at risk amid looming public sector strikes

Anura Kumara Dissanayake

IMF warns Sri Lanka’s recovery at risk amid looming public sector strikes

SRI LANKA’S fragile economic recovery could be hampered by threatened trade union strikes over reduced benefits for government employees in this year’s budget, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned on Tuesday (4).

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s maiden budget raised public sector salaries but also cut longstanding perks to repair the country’s tattered finances.

Keep ReadingShow less
New Political Party Emerges as Bangladesh Student Leaders Unite

Nahid Islam, convener of the newly formed Jatiya Nagarik Party, addresses supporters as students shout slogans during the party’s launch in Dhaka last Friday (28)

Bangladesh student leaders unveil new political party

BANGLADESHI students who played a key role in overthrowing the government last year unveiled a new political party last Friday (28), the latest outfit to join the fray ahead of expected elections.

The party includes key organisers from the powerful Students Against Discrimination (SAD) group that spearheaded the uprising which ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August.

Keep ReadingShow less
Bangladesh student leaders

Sarjis Alam speaks at a press conference in Dhaka on Monday (24)

Bangladesh student leaders gear up for political takeover

Eastern Eye

BANGLADESHI students who led the uprising that overthrew the government last year said on Monday (24) that they would forge a new political party as the country readies for expected elections.

Members of the powerful Students Against Discrimination group are now in the government cabinet, including Nahid Islam, in charge of the telecoms ministry, Asif Mahmud, holding the sports portfolio, and special adviser Mahfuz Alam.

Keep ReadingShow less