China's Attempts To Alter Status Quo In Ladakh Seriously Disturbed Peace In Border Areas: Foreign Secretary

Speaking at the 6th JP Morgan ‘India Investor Summit’, the Foreign Secretary spoke on issues like China's attempts to alter the status quo, Afghanistan crisis, first in-person Quad summit, and more.

New Delhi: Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Monday said that recent geopolitical challenges in India's immediate neighbourhood, particularly in Afghanistan, and with China at the eastern borders have reminded that “traditional security challenges remain” while the new realities are making themselves felt.

Speaking at the 6th JP Morgan ‘India Investor Summit’, the Foreign Secretary said that "Chinese attempts over the last year to unilaterally alter the status quo in Ladakh have seriously disturbed peace and tranquility in the border areas”. 

“These acts are in violation of our bilateral agreements and have inevitably impacted other aspects of the bilateral relationship," he added.

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Monday spoke on ‘India's Foreign Policy and Its Strategic Imperative: The Way Forward’ at the 6th JP Morgan ‘India Investor Summit’.

He revealed that India made it clear to the Chinese side that peace and tranquillity in border areas are essential for the development of their mutual relationship.

“Development of India-China relationship can only be based on ‘three mutuals’- mutual respect, mutual sensitivity, and mutual interests,” he said, as per the statement shared by the Union external affairs ministry.

Afghanistan Crisis

About Afghanistan, he said that “as an immediate neighbour, we are naturally concerned about the recent changes within Afghanistan and their implications for us and the region”.

He added that the immediate focus in the last few weeks was the evacuation of Indian nationals from Afghanistan. A number of Afghans, including minorities, who wanted to travel to India, have also been able to do so. 

It was stressed that this process could not be completed due to the security situation at the Kabul airport. So the resumption of flights from the airport is a priority and India is closely monitoring the unfolding situation.

The Foreign Secretary also brought the UN Security Council meetings held in August 2021 under India’s Presidency where UNSC Resolution 2593 was adopted.

“The resolution demands that Afghan territory not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing terrorist acts; and specifically refers to terrorist individuals proscribed by the UN Security Council, including the Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad,” he said, reiterating the concern shared by MEA at several points earlier.

As for the humanitarian needs of Afghanistan, Harsh Vardhan Shringla cited the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s assessment which said that there is an imminent threat of poverty levels rising in Afghanistan. There is also a threat of an imminent drought and a food security crisis. “It is important for the humanitarian assistance providers to be given unrestricted and direct access to Afghanistan. It is also important that the distribution of humanitarian assistance be done in a non-discriminatory manner to all sections of the Afghan society,” he said.

 First In-person Quad Summit

India will participate in the first in-person Quad summit in the United States next week at the invitation of President Joe Biden. Elaborating on the same, Foreign Secretary said that the agenda of cooperation under the Quad framework is to be constructive and diverse.
 
“The four Quad countries are engaged on issues of connectivity and infrastructure, emerging technologies, climate action, education, and most important of all, COVID-19 responses – which include vaccines collaboration, and resilient and reliable supply chains,” he stated.

India On The Rise Of China

Talking about “megatrends” that were taking over the world before the COVID pandemic, Harsh Vardhan Shringla spoke on the phenomenon of rebalancing in which global activity began moving towards Asia. “Increasing economic output and dynamism in Asia, including India, is redistributing global GDP in a manner that is more consistent with the long-term historical record,” he said.

The second major megatrend is the rise of China, he added. 

“This has geotechnical, geo-economic and geopolitical consequences. The unipolar moment that arose after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War has waned. International relations theory tells us that a change in power equations of this nature causes friction,” the Foreign Secretary stated. 

He followed it by saying that “While India welcomes a multipolar world, this should be predicated on a multipolar Asia”.