India-China relationship key to Asia’s future, their parallel rises present unique problem: Jaishankar

Submission Statement:

The India-China relationship is key to the future of Asia and it will influence not just the continent but the entire world, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said, noting that the “parallel rises” of the two countries present a “very unique problem” in today’s global politics.

MULTIPOLAR ASIA KEY TO MULTIPOLAR WORLD:
“I think the India-China relationship is key to the future of Asia. In a way, you can say that if the world is to be multi-polar, Asia has to be multi-polar. And therefore this relationship will influence not just the future of Asia, but in that way, perhaps the future of the world as well,” Mr. Jaishankar said in his address at an event.

COMPLICATIONS OF PARALLEL RISE:
“You have two countries who are neighbours, unique in the sense that they are the only two countries with over a billion people, both rising in the global order and who often have overlapping peripheries, including the fact that they have a common border. So it’s really a very complicated issue. I think, if you look today in global politics, the parallel rises of India and China, present a very, very unique problem,” he said.

PROGRESS ON ISSUES:
Mr. Jaishankar had recently said that roughly 75% of the disengagement problems with China have been sorted out, a remark that was alluded to during the Asia Society interaction.

Referring to those remarks, the Minister said, “When I said 75% of it has been sorted out — I was asked in a way to quantify — it’s only of the disengagement. So that’s one part of the problem. The main issue right now is the patrolling. You know, how do we, both of us, patrol up to the Line of Actual Control.”

FOCUS SINCE GALWAN CLASH:
Jaishankar said the focus for the last four years had been to, in the first instance, at least disengage the troops, meaning that they go back to the camp, the military bases from which they traditionally operate.