With China is becoming more ‘coercive and aggressive in the Indo-Pacific region, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Thursday said that India envisages free, open, inclusive and peaceful Indo-Pacific built on rules-based order.
Jaishankar made the remarks while delivering a lecture on ‘India’s Vision of the Indo-Pacific’ at the prestigious Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.
Talking about relevance of QUAD, he said “It is the most prominent plurilateral platform that addresses contemporary challenges and opportunities in the Indo-Pacific. We are confident that entire Indo-Pacific region will benefit from its activities. And that is validated by growing recognition of its importance in international community.If there are reservations in any quarter, these stem from a desire to exercise a veto on choices of others.”
“And possibly a unilateralist opposition to collective and cooperative endeavours. India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway that has potential of creating a completely new axis of economic activity in Asia. Has had its fair share of challenges but we are determined to bring it to an early conclusion. The prospects for the global order depend on a more equitable and democratic distribution of power and resources. The world must be more multi-polar. Such a multi-polar world must necessarily have a multi-polar Asia at its centre. This will happen only if we Asian countries consolidate our independence and expand our freedom of choice,” he tweeted.
“Delighted to speak on India’s Vision of the Indo Pacific at the prestigious Chulalongkorn University today. Addressed the changes in the landscape, the updated capabilities of players, and the importance of safeguarding the global commons,” he tweeted.
“Recognize that a very substantial part of India’s interests now lie towards the East, beyond the Indian ocean and into the Pacific. A more collaborative outlook that transcends the orthodoxy of earlier theatres is the need of the day,” he said in another tweet.
In a series of tweets, he said “Recognize that a very substantial part of India’s interests now lie towards the East, beyond the Indian ocean and into the Pacific. A more collaborative outlook that transcends the orthodoxy of earlier theatres is the need of the day,”
“This is about recognizing the realities of globalization and the consequences of re-balancing. Only those whose mindsets are built around spheres of influence and uncomfortable with the democratization of world affairs will dispute the Indo-Pacific today,” he added.
“We envisage a free,open,inclusive, peaceful & prosperous Indo-Pacific region built on a rules-based international order, sustainable & transparent infrastructure investment, freedom of navigation &over-flight,unimpeded lawful commerce, mutual respect for sovereignty, peaceful resolution of disputes, as well as equality of all nations. India envisages ASEAN to be at centre of Indo-Pacific,both literally and substantively. Our ASEAN partners will surely note that our interactions with them have grown, not reduced,as a result of Indo-Pacific,” he tweeted.