Global politics competitive, no need to be afraid of China: Jaishankar

Mumbai: Global politics is a competitive arena in which all countries strive to advance their respective interests and hence there is no need to be afraid of China, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said here on Tuesday.

Interacting with the students and faculty of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM-Mumbai) here on Tuesday evening, Jaishankar said that China being a neighbour naturally influences various aspects through competitive politics.

“I do not think we should be scared of China…. We should say, ok, global politics is a competitive game, you do your best and I will do my best,” said Jaishankar, adding that such competition should be welcomed.

He pointed out that China is a major economy which can deploy resources and attempt to shape things from its perspective. But instead of complaining about it, "we should try and do better than them, instead of terming it as a failure of Indian diplomacy".

In this context, he mentioned how India has regularly helped neighbouring countries, like Sri Lanka during its severe economic crisis in the recent past.

On the scenario in the island-nation of Maldives, Jaishankar said every country faces issues in the neighbourhood, which may not be as good or as bad as is sought to be made out, but "it is our task to anticipate, assess and respond to such problems, for which people must trust Indian diplomacy".

He said that diplomacy does not always go with sharp political stands, since at the end of the day, neighbours need one another as "we cannot escape the fact that history and geography are very powerful forces in the world".

Jaishankar addressed the students on the topic ‘Why Bharat Matters’ and fielded queries on what it was like to be Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Foreign Minister, the challenges and opportunities in the world for our youth, why he penned his latest book, relevance of Ramayana to modern day challenges, how the Indian transformation is impacting global thinking, etc.

He also had an interaction with the students and faculty of IIM-Mumbai.