Dr S Jaishankar, India's foreign minister, took a jibe at opposition leader Rahul Gandhi. Jaishankar said that for Gandhi, China is harmony and India is discord. Politics is a lot of it. I am worried as a citizen of India when I see someone drooling over China. In a sharp attack on Rahul Gandhi's remarks on China, Jaishankar said that the one word for China is harmony and India is discord.
India's relationship with China is very fragile and challenging, according to the foreign minister. He said that the situation in China is very fragile and that the situation is very challenging. You can't pretend everything is normal and you can't violate agreements. Jaishankar also said that ties with China would not be normal if border agreements are breached. He said that there would be no normal ties with China if border agreements are breached.
He said that you have to agree on patrolling in certain areas. We chose areas where we wouldn't patrol in the 1970s. Jaishankar said, "I think we have today set ourselves up," he said, about the rise of India. China did that. He stressed that India needs to build deep industrial strengths and technologies.
We don't have deep industrial strengths like China. He said countries have to build deep strengths for aspirations.
Jaishankar spoke about areas where India has fallen short.
When you talk about the national power, nobody would dispute that there are many areas where we have fallen short. This country is making efforts today. It is a small but very important change. This country is changing and society is changing. We are getting global and faster. EAM Jaishankar said society has changed and is interacting in a different way.
The external affairs minister spoke about the revival of the QUAD.
Today, you have the QUAD because you have the government that can stand up for it. He said it should not be seen as a treaty or alliance.
He said it took a decade for the QUAD to be revived. I feel that it is moving well, because it meets the agenda. It is flexible and creative.