KOLKATA: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, addressing after being conferred an Honorary Doctorate by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kolkata, said that the United States has set radically new terms of engagement by dealing with countries on a one-on-one basis.
"India has been actively pursuing self-reliance and making itself a manufacturing base for industries," he observed.
Jaishankar said that India has made progress in infrastructure facilities --highways, railways, energy and ports, and it has helped the country narrow the gaps with leading Asian economies.
The senior BJP leader also said that politics increasingly trumps economics in the present era, and in an uncertain world, it is important that the country continuously diversifies supply sources to guarantee its needs.
His remarks came particularly against the backdrop when India and the US are continuing negotiations for a trade deal, specifically in light of the 50 per cent tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on India, over three months ago.
Besides, the union minister also raised issues related to China, saying, “It long plays by its own rules” and is doing so even now.
Noting that one-third of global production currently takes place in China, Jaishankar said that it has put the spotlight on the "resilience and reliability" of supply chains.
"We are now moving ahead, by any standards," he said, maintaining that the world is taking note of the advancements being made by India.
"With these considerations in mind, we are today endeavouring to forge new trade arrangements and promote fresh connectivity initiatives," the minister said.
When it comes to trade, “We will naturally be guided by our people-centric vision, just as our connectivity plans are by strategic as well as economic considerations,” he said.
He also said that as the government plans for a developed India by 2047, "the goal of foreign policy is to steadily expand footprint beyond its current confines".
He asserted that the solidarity that India has built with the Global South creates a base for it.
Jaishankar said that when it comes to increasing comprehensive national power, India's role in diplomacy is "active rather than passive".
"Promoting industrial growth and even incentivising it is a key economic priority," the minister said, maintaining that emphasis on 'Make in India' in the last decade speaks of a "different mindset and greater ambition"
"We are now in the world of chips and semiconductors, electric vehicles and batteries, drones and space, or that of nanotech and bioscience. Each of them offers an opportunity to leapfrog and establish unique capabilities," the minister added.