New Delhi, Oct. 4 -- External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said the United States had "deliberately become a lonelier power" as its repositioning and the rise of China reshape the global order, while emerging and middle powers respond by diversifying partnerships and pursuing greater self-reliance. In this changing landscape, he said India had also moved beyond simply advocating dialogue and diplomacy on the Ukraine conflict, holding conversations with both Russia and Ukraine on the safety of Black Sea shipping, grain and energy exports and possible non-attack arrangements. "No one in the room would disagree with the fact that the landscape today is primarily marked by a radical repositioning of the United States," Jaishankar said.
He described the US shift as "a posture of choice" and said the second major feature of the global landscape was the rise of China. China, he said, accounts for about one-third of global manufacturing and its economic capabilities are translating into political influence.
"We are looking at very sharp competition," Jaishankar said, adding that the rivalry between Washington and Beijing was affecting countries beyond the two powers. "That competition today, not limited to these two countries, has led to a weaponisation of any leverage that any country has," he said. At the same time, he said the rivalry coexisted with the "complexity of interdependence".
Jaishankar said emerging and middle powers were becoming more conscious of their own interests and seeking greater self-reliance. They were increasingly focused on diversifying and de-risking their economies, security arrangements and supply chains while developing new forms of cooperation.
"What unites the emerging and middle powers, differentiated as they may be, is a growing self-awareness of their interest," he said. "All of them, in a way, are becoming more self-reliant. It's a term, 'Atmanirbhar', very much in vogue in India as well."
On Ukraine, Jaishankar said India had become "a little bit more involved beyond advocacy" in recent months and was speaking to both sides in an effort to address immediate concerns. India has consistently called for the conflict to end through dialogue, diplomacy and negotiations.
"Our position on that conflict has been very clear, which is that we would like to see an end to this conflict," he said. India's discussions currently cover Black Sea shipping safety, grain exports, energy exports and "non-attack possibilities".
His comments came days after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Prime Minifster Narendra Modi had "good ideas" for finding a mutually acceptable solution. Ukraine Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also said Kyiv had received proposals from India and three other countries for a possible ceasefire. Modi, during talks with Putin in Bishkek on August 31, said that "endless war must now give way to end of war".
Jaishankar said India's relationship with Russia, which dates back to the 1950s, had also evolved considerably. He said the Soviet Union had stood by India when its security and territorial integrity faced threats. Today, the relationship includes trade, investment, energy, resources, defence, nuclear cooperation and space.
He said countries no longer needed complete agreement to work together. "If you have enough touch points, that is good enough for countries to work together," he said, citing the Quad, BRICS and several connectivity initiatives as examples. Through "de-risking, diversifying and hedging", Jaishankar said, "slowly a new architecture is coming into place."
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.