Meanwhile, at an event in the national capital, defence minister Rajnath Singh also indirectly attacked China and said that the armed forces are well equipped, capable and ready to give a befitting reply if anyone casts an evil eye on India.
Mr Jaishankar's remarks come as the Chinese troops have yet to pull back from all of the friction points in the Ladakh sector, where they had amassed four years ago in violation of border pacts with India.
Slamming Beijing without naming it, Mr Jaishankar in Tokyo said, “It is not surprising that global risk-taking has been on the increase. We see it in conflict in Europe, in disregard for international laws in Asia, in the ongoing developments in the Middle East and often in the weaponisation of the normal. Longstanding agreements are not being necessarily observed, raising question marks about the stability of the environment in which we all operate.”
Given that Japan, along with some of the Southeast Asian nations, have maritime disputes with China and are wary of the Chinese military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region, Mr Jaishankar's statements assume greater significance.
At an event in New Delhi, the defence minister, in a veiled message aimed at China, said that India has never attacked any country nor occupied its land, but if any country challenges India, the country is in a position to give a ‘befitting’ reply.
"Whether from land, air, or sea, if anyone attacks India, our forces have so much strength that we will give a befitting reply,” said Mr Singh during an event in the national capital.
The defence minister said, "Whether there is a possibility of a conflict or not, we must always be prepared for a war. Even during peace, our preparedness should be at its maximum."
Speaking at an event in Tokyo on the India-Japan friendship, Mr Jaishankar said, “It is also in our common interest that the overall balance remains in favour of freedom, openness, transparency and a rules-based order. The world will watch how we support each other in this shared goal through various relationships and initiatives... The world is now more volatile, uncertain, unpredictable and open-ended. This is the prospect that India and Japan have to confront, both from their national perspectives as well as from the point of view of their relationship.”
On the economic and trade ties between the two countries, Mr. Jaishankar said, “Can our economic weight be a greater stabilising factor? Between India and Japan, trade has stagnated, but investments have been much more dynamic. Is there scope for a big jump? … Today, Make in India and exports from India are two possibilities that should be explored by Japanese companies."
The external affairs minister added: "One, the world is heading for re-globalisation with the building of resilient and reliable supply chains and trusted and transparent digital transactions. India and Japan are natural partners in that regard. Two, as democracies and market economies, we also share basic affinities. Our commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific is being taken forward by the Quad with each passing year. The value of this contribution is also being increasingly appreciated across the world. And three, as we look at the opportunities and challenges of the future, the comfort we have built up is a foundation for thinking more ambitiously today. The progress in India in the last decade promises even more for our partnership.”
Slamming the UN for the lack of reform, Mr Jaishankar said, “As fellow members of the G4 grouping, India and Japan seek to make the UN structures more contemporary. This is clearly an uphill task, but one in which we must persevere.”
Both India and Japan are strong candidates for permanent membership in the UN Security Council (UNSC).
On the rapid changes in India’s development and growth story, Mr Jaishankar said, “I think it is important that Japan today appreciates the pace of change in India. This is a country today that is constructing 28 km of highway every day, which is creating 8 new airports every year, which is establishing 1.5 to two metros every year, which has for the last 10 years built two new colleges every day, and which has doubled its technical and medical institutions and output. This transformation of India makes us a more effective and credible partner... India is clearly a very different country today. This is important for Japan to recognise.”
On connectivity initiatives, the external affairs minister stated, “India is today working on major corridors, both to its east and to its west. They include, on the west, the IMEC initiative through the Arabian Peninsula and the International North-South Transport Corridor. And to the east, the Trilateral highway in Southeast Asia and the Chennai-Vladivostok route, which also have polar implications. Now, bear in mind that these corridors, when they are completed, would essentially connect the Atlantic to the Pacific through Asia. Our two nations have converging views about the need for transparent and collaborative connectivity.”
