“We Must Compete With All, Not Just China”: S Jaishankar Exclusive

India does not need to be scared of China and it has the capability and confidence to compete with the country, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said. 

In an exclusive interview with NDTV on Wednesday, the minister said when it comes to connectivity projects, mobility of people, the social and intellectual spheres, trade and every other yardstick, India is in a very strong position in the neighbourhood. 

Mr Jaishankar also acknowledged, however, that we are living in a competitive world and India should not assume that China will not try to influence its neighbours. “They had been doing this,” he said. 

To a question on how he saw the possibility of China’s slowing economy, foreign investors leaving and the country’s other difficulties making India complacent, the minister said in Hindi, “They will also have their ups and downs. But I am looking at this from the angle of diplomatic foreign policy competition. India must learn to compete. We must compete with China, but not only them. There may be some Western nations as well, whose interests and thinking may be different from ours.”   

“Diplomacy is about every country trying to change the situation according to their interests. If you and I differ on something, you would want to have your way, I would want to have mine. This competition is natural. Which is why I use a sports analogy. In sport, no one expects another team to go easy on you. Everyone tries to win. This is the mindset we need to have,” he said.