External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Friday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been "very firm" on China and that he should be judged by the strong deployment of our forces on the Sino-India border, rejecting the Opposition's criticism of the prime minister's recent handshake with Chinese President Xi Jinping, news agency PTI reported.
According to Jaishankar, when dealing with China, there is the reality that it is the world's second-largest economy, India's proximal neighbour, but also one with a rough past, war, and a huge boundary dispute.
Speaking at an event in New Delhi, Jaishankar stated that the proper way to engage with China is to be forceful when necessary.
"If you have to move troops up to the border to deal with what they are trying to do, we should do that. On issues where they do not support or undermine our interests, to be frank about it, to be public about it where required. I don't say public about it all the time but where diplomacy requires it is often useful to be public," he was quoted as saying by PTI.
"...At the same time maintain the decorum and dignity of how leaders behave...this is exactly how this has happened," he added.
Responding to criticism of Modi and Xi's handshake at the G20 summit in Bali earlier this month from certain quarters, particularly opposition parties, Jaishankar said, "I guess there are people who can take positions, especially if they are free of responsibility, you can be pretty casual or thoughtless of what you say," PTI reported.
"I guess there are people who can take positions, especially if they are free of responsibility, you can be pretty casual or thoughtless of what you say. It is a free country, people are entitled to say things. I think responsible, sensible people will see that there are ways in which a leader of India behaves. If one is going to be a president of the G20, of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, those are responsibilities that one has taken up," he remarked.
"I don't think the prime minister has postured publicly on China. I think the prime minister has been very firm on China. The prime minister has been very clear and not just in his words, he has actually been very clear in his actions. Please understand the efforts that were made from 2020 onwards in maintaining such a large force on our borders. It is an enormous enterprise," Jaishankar said.
"At the end of the day that is the answer. I would rather have a prime minister who does things than have a prime minister who pontificates but does not actually do it out there. In the case of Prime Minister Modi, I think he should be judged by the fact that the Indian military today is deployed in strength on the borders with China to respond to the challenges of 2020," he said.
Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi shook hands earlier this month at a G20 Summit side event. A live media feed from Indonesian President Joko Widodo's welcoming dinner for G20 participants revealed the brief exchange between the two leaders.
Several opposition politicians chastised Modi and questioned the gesture in the aftermath of deteriorating bilateral relations.
In terms of future ties with China, Jaishankar said that the relationship should not be viewed as a behavioural or term-driven policy.
Following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area, the eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020. Both sides increased their deployment progressively by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers and heavy equipment.
Witnessed a string of military and diplomatic talks, the two parties concluded the disengagement process on the north and south banks of Pangong Lake, as well as in the Gogra area, last year.
The disengagement in the Pangong Lake area occurred in February of last year, while troops and equipment were withdrawn from Patrolling Point 17 (A) in Gogra in August of last year.
(With Inputs From PTI)