New Delhi: After the violent clash of Galwan, the situation on the China border is continuously changing and India has also strengthened its military strength and preparedness more than before. Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has said that India's border with China has now become more active than before. However, he also clarified that India's ability to deal with any situation on the border and maintain military deployment for long periods has improved significantly over the years.
At the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in Delhi on Saturday, the External Affairs Minister said, "Our ability to maintain ourselves and deploy troops on that border has improved. I would say that there has been a very significant improvement in this." He admitted that the situation at the border is no longer the same as before and activities there have increased.
Changed strategy after Galwan
In June 2020, there was a violent clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Galwan Valley. 20 Indian soldiers were martyred in this incident. After this, there remained tension in the relations between the two countries for a long time. Jaishankar said it was necessary to strengthen India's preparedness on the border, as earlier adequate attention was not paid to the infrastructure in this area.
Border infrastructure previously neglected
Jaishankar said that till about a decade ago, India had not given priority to the infrastructure of border areas. Giving the example of the 1980s, he said that at that time the size of the economies of India and China was almost equal. But China worked rapidly on modernization and industrialization, while India could not take advantage of this opportunity.
Referring to the visit of then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to China in 1988, he said that at that time the economies of both the countries were at almost the same level. After this, China emphasized industrial development and moved ahead economically.
New challenges before India in the changing world system
The Foreign Minister also described the emerging global system as a big challenge for India. According to him, the current form of the world is changing rapidly and in the coming times, relations between countries may be based on transactions more than before. In such an environment, India will have to strengthen its economic and industrial capacity, so that it can play its role effectively at the global level.
Jaishankar described the increasing competition between America and China as an important reason for global instability. However, he also said that this is not the only reason behind the changes going on in the world.
He was also asked about the possible impact of the Democratic Party's victory in the mid-term elections in America on India-US relations. On this Jaishankar said that this can change many things. On the trade issue, he indicated that India would look to continue dialogue and cooperation with the US administration.