NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Saturday asserted that India’s rise will be driven by its own strength and not by the “mistakes of others”.
His remarks came two days after Christopher Landau, the United States Deputy Secretary of State, said Washington would be cautious not to repeat what he described as past economic miscalculations with China while dealing with India.
Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, Jaishankar emphasised that the trajectory of India’s growth is fundamentally determined by domestic capabilities.
“When we speak today about the rise of countries, the rise of countries is determined by the countries. The rise of India will be determined by India,” Jaishankar said. “It will be determined by our strength, not by the mistakes of others.”
His remarks came two days after Landau said at the same platform at the Raisina Dialogue that “India should understand that we're not going to make the same mistakes with India that we made with China 20 years ago.”
Landau had added that Washington would ensure its policies remain “fair to our people,” while acknowledging that governments must be accountable to their citizens.
Jaishankar did not name any country in his response but highlighted that India’s growth path was clear. “I’m not saying there are no challenges to India’s rise; there are. But the direction of India’s rise is very clear. In a way, it’s unstoppable,” he said.
The minister also highlighted India’s growing strategic role in the Indian Ocean region. “Those who work with us obviously will get more benefits,” Jaishankar said.
Jaishankar also addressed a recent maritime incident involving Iranian naval vessels in the region. India allowed the Iranian warship IRIS Lavan to dock in Kochi earlier this week as a “humanitarian gesture,” he said.
“When the (Iranian) ships had set out, and when they came here, the situation was totally different,” Jaishankar said. The vessels “were coming in for a fleet review and then they got, in a way, caught on the wrong side of the events.”
Meanwhile, Vijitha Herath, Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, said Colombo was caring for 32 sailors rescued from the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, which was sunk by a US submarine on Wednesday off the island’s southern coast.
Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue, Herath said Sri Lanka was acting in accordance with international law. “We have taken all the steps according to international laws,” he said when asked whether Colombo faced pressure from the United States over repatriating the sailors.
Sri Lanka also provided safe harbour to another Iranian warship, IRIS Bushehr, evacuating its 219 crew after the vessel reported engine trouble and towing it to Trincomalee on the island’s north-east coast.
