February 19, 2022
2 mins read

Very difficult phase: Jaishankar on Sino-India relations

Asked if the relationship with the West had improved as a result of the confrontation with China, Jaishankar replied: “My relations with the West were quite decent before June 2020.”…reports Ashis Ray

 In a prickly interaction with a moderator, S Jaishankar, Indian External Affairs Minister, remarked in a panel discussion at the annual Munich Security Conference that ties with China are going through a very difficult phase.

Answering a question on the Sino-India situation, the minister explained: “It’s a problem we are having with China; and the problem is this: that for 45 years there was peace, there was stable border management, there were no military casualties from 1975. That changed because we had agreements with China not to bring military forces to the border, we call it border but it’s a line of actual control, and the Chinese violated those agreements. Now the state of the border will determine the state of the relationship. That’s natural. So obviously relations with China are going through a very difficult phase.”

Asked if the relationship with the West had improved as a result of the confrontation with China, he replied: “My relations with the West were quite decent before June 2020.”

The questioner pointed out: “A recent poll, I think it was published just last week, indicates that on this occasion of the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-India relations which we celebrate this year, levels of trust between ASEAN countries and India are fairly low. India ranks fifth, after Japan, the United States, the EU and China; and only 16.6 per cent of respondents in this poll have said that they have confidence in India.”

Jaishankar answered: “I am a politician, so I believe in polls. But I have never seen a poll which has made any sense to me when it comes to foreign policy. So I guess what you cited is probably part of a long list. I would say our relations right now with ASEAN are actually growing well. The two big changes which are taking place are, we have much stronger security cooperation with the ASEAN and the other is physical connectivity.”

There was a charge of lack of principle between India’s attitude towards China and policy towards Russia, when it came to the latter’s current stand-off with Ukraine. The minister challenged this by saying: “I don’t think the situations in the Indo-Pacific and the trans-Atlantic are really analogous. We have quite distinct challenges between what’s happening here (Europe) and what happening in the Indo-Pacific.”

He added: “I think principles and interests are balanced and if people were so principled in this part of the world, they would have been practicing those principles in Asia or in Afghanistan.”

Jaishankar was speaking at a panel discussion on ‘A Sea Change? Regional Order and Security in the Indo-Pacific’. Other speakers in the conversation were representatives of the three other QUAD member countries, namely Yoshimasa Hayashi, foreign minister in Japan, Marise Payne, the Australian foreign minister, and Jeanne Shaheen, a US senator.

Thirty heads of government or state and over 100 minister rank officials are attending the weekend conference.

ALSO READ: Rare earth prices hit record high in China

Previous Story

Germany, France tell citizens to leave Ukraine

Next Story

DAILY BRIEF: India faces major polling as Pakistan sinks Imran Khan in popularity rankings

Latest from -Top News

No Talks Till Terror Ends: India to Pakistan

The MEA’s strong response came at a time when Pakistan, pushed on the backfoot by India’s decisive Operation Sindoor, has suddenly started talking about its intent on having peace talks with India….reports

BNP ramps up poll demand

Chief Adviser Yunus had earlier promised elections in December 2025, but the timeline has since been pushed back first to February 2026 and then to June 2026, fuelling suspicion and dissatisfaction among

Saudi backs India’s strategic outreach

In a series of engagements, the Indian delegation met Saudi Arabia’s Minister of State Adel Al-Jubeir and other senior officials. A high-profile Indian all-party parliamentary delegation, led by BJP MP Baijayant Jay

India clears stealth fighter project

New execution model paves way for private sector involvement in India’s ambitious stealth aircraft programme; Army showcases next-gen drone warfare systems. In a landmark decision bolstering India’s defence self-reliance, Defence Minister Rajnath

ASEAN lauds India’s firm stance on terrorism

The ASEAN Secretary-General reaffirmed the bloc’s resolve to deepen collaboration with India—a comprehensive strategic partner—in security and counter-terrorism efforts. The Indian all-party Parliamentary delegation, led by Janata Dal (United) MP Sanjay Jha,
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Defence Rules the Night 

The hosts’ solid defence earned a point, holding the Highlanders

Acute hepatitis reported among Indian kids during Covid

Another study, published earlier this month, suggested a possible link