Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday that India-China relations are going through an “extremely difficult period” after what Beijing did on the border, stressing that the Asian century will not take place unless the two neighbors meet could shake hands.
Jaishankar made the remarks while responding to a series of questions after delivering a lecture on “India’s Vision of the Indo-Pacific” here at the prestigious Chulalongkorn University.
In response to a question, Jaishankar said that the Asian Century will happen when China and India come together, but the Asian Century will be difficult if India and China cannot come together.
“Right now, the (Indo-Chinese) relationship is going through an extremely difficult period after what China did on the border,” he said.
Chinese and Indian troops are locked in a prolonged standoff in eastern Ladakh. The two sides have so far held 16 rounds of corps commander-level talks to resolve the standoff that erupted on May 5, 2020 after a violent clash in the Pangong sea areas.
“I think if India and China need to get together, there are many reasons, not necessarily just Sri Lanka,” he said, adding that it is in India’s and China’s own interests to join hands.
“We really hope that wisdom will dawn on the Chinese side,” he said while responding to another question from the audience.
Jaishankar said India has done its best to help Sri Lanka. This year alone, India has provided $3.8 billion in assistance to Sri Lanka, including credit lines and swap agreements, he said.
Sri Lanka, a nation of 22 million people, is in the midst of an unprecedented economic crisis that has led to severe shortages of fuel and other essential commodities. The Sri Lankan government is negotiating a rescue package with the IMF.
“Any help that we can give Sri Lanka at the IMF, we will of course do,” Jaishankar said.
On the issue of Rohingya refugees, he said the issue had been discussed with Bangladesh. “What matters to them is the repatriation. We supported Bangladesh,” he said.
Bangladesh is currently home to more than 1 million Rohingya refugees who fled Myanmar after a military operation against them a few years ago.
In response to another question, Jaishankar dismissed criticism over importing discounted Russian oil, saying India is not the only oil importing country.
Since Moscow deployed troops to Ukraine on February 24, the US and Europe have imposed heavy sanctions on Russia.
Despite criticism from the West, India increased oil imports from Russia after the Ukraine war and continues to do business with Moscow.
Jaishankar, who arrived here on Tuesday, co-chaired the 9th India-Thailand Joint Commission meeting with his Thai counterpart and Deputy Prime Minister Don Pramudwinai on Wednesday, during which they discussed promoting bilateral contacts in the political, economic, security and defense fields , connectivity and health spoke domains.
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