Narrow Asian chauvinism not in continent's interests: External Affairs Minister Jaishankar

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 30

Warning against “narrow Asian chauvinism”, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said there are resident powers in Asia like the US or proximate ones like Australia who have legitimate interests.

“Their contribution is also invaluable for securing the global commons. India’s universalist outlook, expressed in the belief of the world as a family, encourages it to go beyond exclusivist Asian approaches,” he said at the launch of Asia Society Policy Institute here.

A narrow Asian chauvinism, he argued, is actually against the continent’s own interests. Because Asia is energetic and creative, it should benefit from the open doors of other regions. “That obviously cannot be a one-way street. Such an outlook also goes against the reality of globalisation. Whether it is resources, markets or supply chains, these can no longer be compartmentalised,” he argued.

“Asia for Asians is also a sentiment that was encouraged in the past, even in our own country, by political romanticism. The Bandung spirit, however, got its reality check within its first decade. Indeed, the experience of the past affirms that Asians are second to none when it comes to realpolitik,’’ he observed.

From time to time, he noted, there was also talk about Asia for Asians. Such thinking needed to be carefully analysed, both from a national interest perspective as well as the implications of the proposition itself. “The suggestion that it could be the basis of a united front presumes a stronger convergence within the continent than reality indicates. Moreover, a united front works when participants are confident of the vision and of each other. This requires at least a moderate level of mutual trust. Even in the past, this was not an easy challenge to address. It is obviously much more difficult now,” he felt.

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