India’s way not to be disruptive; it is decider rather than abstainer: Jaishankar

New Delhi, January 15

India’s way is not to be disruptive and it is more of a decider than an abstainer, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday.

In remarks that come at a time when several countries have called for a greater Indian role in the Indo-Pacific, the minister said it is not the India way to be mercantilist.

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Addressing a gathering at the Raisina Dialogue here, Jaishankar referred to tensions between the US and Iran saying they are two individualistic countries and what finally happened would depend on the players involved.

Discussing ties with China, he said it is vital for the neighbours to reach understanding on crucial issues. “Neither India nor China can get India-China relations wrong. Our relationship is unique. Each country has gone up in the world simultaneously. It is necessary that the two countries find equilibrium,” Jaishankar said.

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India, he said, is a “prisoner of its past image” and must get over it.

“It is not the India way to be disruptive. It is not the India way to be mercantilist. It is the India way to be more of a decider and not an abstainer. I would pick on climate change. India owes it to itself and to the world to be a just power,” Jaishankar said during the session titled ‘The India Way: Preparing for a Century of Growth and Contest’.

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India is firmly dealing with terrorism, he added.

“There was a time when we spoke more than what we did. It is changing now,” the minister said.

On India pulling out of RCEP, he said the onus was on countries which were part of it. “Where RCEP is concerned, we have to look at cost and benefit. We will evaluate RCEP on its economic and trade merit. We have not closed our mind to it,” Jaishankar said.

He also asserted that “we are not under-delivering on the India-US relationship”. There is no area of activity where India and the US are not working together, he said.

Noting that the world had common challenges, he said, “Terrorism is a common challenge. Separatism is a common challenge. Migration is a common challenge. The world has to ask itself how they handle these challenges. Don’t get fixated on the dots and ignore the line.” PTI