The EAM was speaking at an session after delivering the Jasjit Singh memorial lecture on the theme India’s grand strategy in uncertain multipolar world
India needs to prepare for “disruptive” changes in the Indian Ocean, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Friday against the backdrop of concerns about China’s growing forays into the waters around the country.
The competition being witnessed in India’s neighbourhood will also occur in the Indian Ocean, Jaishankar said, without naming any country, while participating in an interactive session after delivering the Jasjit Singh memorial lecture on the theme “India’s grand strategy in an uncertain multipolar world.”.
While responding to a question, Jaishankar pointed to competition in India’s neighbourhood and said there’s “no point moaning and groaning about it” as the country needs to be ready to compete. India is braced for competition in the Indian Ocean just as it is prepared for competition across the neighborhood.
“I think the Indian Ocean is already seeing the beginnings of maritime presence, which was not there before. So, it is poised for a disruptive change. I think we need to anticipate it (and) we need to prepare for it,” he said.
China has increased its presence in the Indian Ocean, which New Delhi perceives as being within its sphere of influence, by sending its naval and surveillance vessels to ports in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Several surveillance ships have criss-crossed regional waters around the time of Indian missile tests, and experts believe they are also involved in gathering data that would be helpful for submarine warfare.
Jaishankar, who delivered the lecture at an event organised by the Centre for Airpower Studies, explained the rationale behind India’s “SAGAR” maritime initiative, or “Security and Growth for All in the Region,” that was launched nine years ago.
Responding to a question on India’s “Neighbourhood First” policy, he cited examples of a successful collaborative approach that is aimed at bringing neighbors closer economically. He specifically cited India’s support for Sri Lanka when it was hit by the worst economic crisis in decades.
“So, you know the neighborhood for any country, especially for big countries, will never be easy. But neighborhoods need hard work, and frankly, given some other neighbours that we have and they have, the neighborhood will also be very competitive,” he said.
“If we have competition, we need to compete, and that’s really what we are trying to do.”
Jaishankar added, “So at least in our neighborhood, we have shown that we have the ability to stand up, to push our interests, to compete against other countries, and often…out-resource them and definitely outperform them. I think we have a very solid record of that.”
Jaishankar referred to “political ups and downs” with many of India’s neighbours, and said these are realities that should be accepted. “But we also need to appreciate that we today have more resources, more capabilities, we are geographically at the centre, and our size is so much bigger,” he said.
During the lecture, Jaishankar said the global landscape has changed and will continue to do so. “India’s primary concerns and challenges also reflect that transformation. We are looking at new forms of competition that take advantage of high interpenetration and interdependence,” he said.
