India should give up the limited thinking and adopt a confident policy

Ahmedabad: ‘India is now the fifth largest economy in the world. Therefore, now we cannot think like we used to think when the economy was in 20th place. New India cannot keep thinking like it used to, but we must show confidence and take the necessary decisions. While considering the country’s interests, the country will have to consider not only the Indian Ocean region but also the Pacific Ocean,’ External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said while underlining the changes in the country’s foreign policy. The foreign minister was speaking at a book release ceremony organised in Ahmedabad.

Considering the Indian Ocean region, more than 50% of the cargo traffic from this region goes to the Pacific Ocean. Therefore, the line dividing the Indian and Pacific oceans is visible only on the map. These marine areas are interconnected. Thus, the thinking that India should not think about the Pacific region, and should not interfere there, will not work at this time. In the 1950s and 60s, India had limited capabilities and resources. In those days, limited thinking had to be done. But that is not the case now. Therefore, leaving behind the ingrained habits of thinking as we did in the past, India must take confident decisions and prioritise its interests, asserted External Affairs Minister Jaishankar.

Moreover, India’s policy should be to negotiate with the United States, ‘manage’ China, develop European relations, reassure Russia, and increase its closeness with Japan. At this time, Jaishankar claimed that this would be ‘Sabka Saath and Sabka Vishwas’ for India. Along with this, the response from the people on foreign policy is also critical. Because the country’s policy is going in one direction and the people thinking in the other direction cannot work. The foreign minister said that the response from the people is essential for good governance.

China’s economy is more than four times that of India’s. Therefore, India should learn from their progress. Jaishankar suggested that India should look at this with a positive attitude instead of looking at it negatively. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned the Indo-Pacific region while speaking at the program to commission INS Vikrant in the Navy. Earlier, India ignored the possible threats from this maritime area. But that will not happen in the future. The Prime Minister had assured that India would focus on this area by increasing the capacity of its Navy. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar’s statement also indicates the same.

India’s influence in the region from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean is claimed to be essential for freedom of transport in the region. Developed countries are also expecting the same from India. At the same time, a country like China, which aspires to dominate the region, opposes India’s influence here. Westerners say that China’s reckless activities in this area are endangering the freedom of trade and transport here. In such a time, India should take the initiative and challenge China’s regional dominance. The US and European countries like France and the UK have increased cooperation with India in this regard.

These countries are increasing cooperation with India to safeguard their interests in the Indo-Pacific region. Some analysts say India should not spoil relations with a neighbouring country like China by going after them. But after China adopted a policy of directly challenging India’s security and interests, India had no choice but to increase cooperation with other countries against China. At the same time, diplomats and strategic analysts are pointing out that while the Indian economy is moving towards five trillion dollars, India has to focus on the Indian Ocean region and the Pacific Ocean to protect the security and interests of its maritime transport. In such a situation, the statements made by the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of India regarding the Indo-Pacific region clearly indicate the country’s changing policies.