India-China relations are currently strained: Foreign Minister Jaishankar -

Bangkok: India desires an independent, open, and free Indo-Pacific region within the framework of international regulations. The QUAD arrangement of India, America, Japan, and Australia has been established for this purpose. Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar targeted China for singularly opposing the QUAD. At the same time, Jaishankar also clarified that the relations between India and China are currently strained. During his visit to Thailand, in a lecture at a university, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar articulated India’s stance while directly targeting China.

Foreign Minister Jaishankar’s lecture on India’s vision of the Indo-Pacific was organized at a renowned university in Thailand. The QUAD has been established to address the current challenges and explore opportunities in the Indo-Pacific region. Jaishankar stated that India envisions a free, open, inclusive, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific area that lies within the framework of international norms. India wants permanent and transparent investments in infrastructure for this region. Jaishankar said that India demands free sea, air traffic, and unimpeded trade in this region.

Everyone in the Indo-Pacific region should respect each other’s sovereignty. Foreign Minister Jaishankar also expressed hope of resolving issues through peaceful dialogue while treating all countries equally. For this, India expects the role of the ASEAN countries to be pivotal for the Indo-Pacific region. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar also pointed out that India’s cooperation with ASEAN countries has increased due to the Indo-Pacific, and India’s partner countries who are members of ASEAN are experiencing this. Meanwhile, after this lecture, the Foreign Minister was asked a question about the relations between India and China. Jaishankar made it clear that India-China relations are currently in a delicate state. Due to the Chinese activities near India’s border, the ties have been strained between the two countries. It is difficult for India and China to come together in such a situation. There are claims that if India and China cooperate, this century will belong to Asia. But in the current context, this seems to be complicated.

External Affairs Minister Jaishankar and other Indian leaders are also openly criticizing China, while the defence chiefs are highlighting concern over the Chinese activities. But China is trying to create a façade that it has good relations with India. China claims that the Indian Army would jointly participate with the Chinese Army in an exercise in Russia. For now, China is cautiously avoiding hurting India by declaring that the relations between the two countries are smooth and will be restored post resolving the differences. At the same time, inciting Chinese activities at the Indian border has not stopped. However, China is trying to prevent this from affecting its trade with India.