EAM says India, Japan to strengthen defence capabilities for region’s benefit

Anjali Sharma

GG News Bureau
WASHINGTON DC, 8th March. India External Affairs Minister Mr. S Jaishankar on Thursday said it is important that Japan appreciates the pace of change in India in his address at the first Raisina Roundtable in Tokyo,.

He stressed that India and Japan to strengthen their defence capabilities for the benefit of the larger region as the maritime safety and security have become pressing concerns for the world.

Mr Jaishankar, is on a three-day visit to Japan noted that trade between India and Japan has stagnated but investments have been much more dynamic.

”Make in India” and ”Export from India”, are two possibilities which should be explored by Japanese companies, he added.

Mr Jaishankar said ”This is a country today which is building 28 km of highway every day, which is creating 8 new airports every year, which is establishing one and a half to two metros every year, which has for the last 10 years built two new colleges every day,” he pointed out.

He emphasized India’s flourishing growth said “This transformation of India makes us a more effective and credible partner, whether it is the ease of doing business, ease of living, digital delivery, startup, and innovation culture or shaping the international agenda, India is clearly a very different country today.”

He said India is working on major corridors today, both to its east and west.

“They include the IMAC (India Middle East-Europe Corridor) initiative through the Arabian Peninsula and the international north-south transport corridor and towards east the trilateral highway these corridors, when completed, will connect the Atlantic to the Pacific through Asia. Two nations (India and Japan) have converging views about the need for transparent and collaborative connectivity,” Mr Jaishankar said.

He spoke at length on Global South and underlined that India is conscious of the responsibility.

“As the voice of the global south, India is conscious of the responsibility, our development efforts today span 78 nations across different continents, can India and Japan coordinate in regards to their developmental systems?…maritime safety and security have become particularly pressing concerns.”

Jaishankar noted that the most universal expression of the global order is still the United Nations. Its reform is, therefore, of paramount importance. ”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,” he added.

He said the world is heading for re-globalization with the building of resilient and reliable supply chains and trusted and transparent digital transactions. India and Japan are natural partners in that regard. As democracies and market economies, India and Japan also share basic affinities.

”Our commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific is being taken forward by the Quad with each passing year,” he noted.

“Important that Japan today appreciates pace of change in India”: Jaishankar

He said India is working on major corridors today, both to its east and west.

“They include the IMAC (India Middle East-Europe Corridor) initiative through the Arabian peninsula and the international north-south transport corridor and towards east the trilateral highway…these corridors when completed will connect the Atlantic to the Pacific through Asia. Two nations (India and Japan) have converging views about the need for transparent and collaborative connectivity,” Jaishankar said at the Raisina Roundtable organised by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in Tokyo.

He spoke at length on Global South and underlined that India is conscious of the responsibility.

“We can see that at the Red Sea, we had first casualties…it is also necessary to strengthen our defence capabilities for the benefit of the larger region…” Jaishankar asserted.

Houthis have been carrying out attacks on commercial and military shipping in Red Sea since November, halting global trade route.

The Houthis initially said that they would target Israel-linked ships in a show of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, but later expanded their targets to include vessels linked to the United Kingdom and the US.

He is in Japan for the 16th India-Japan Foreign Minister’s Strategic Dialogue with his Japanese counterpart, Yoko Kamikawa.

According to MEA press release, both nations are expected to discuss issues of bilateral, regional and global importance, and exchange views on cooperation for a free, open, inclusive, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific.

Jaishankar said the overall balance should remain in favor of freedom, openness, and rules-based order.

“As to powers that are so central to multipolarity in Asia, it is also in our common interest that the overall balance remains in favour of the freedom, openness, transparency, and rules-based order,” he said.

“The world will watch how we will support each other in the shared goal through various relationships and initiatives…” he noted.

He also asserted how “new balances are being sorted and occasionally achieved.”

“This session is about how India and Japan, who enjoy special a special strategic and global partnership, intent to meet the challenges facing the global order. There are many aspects to this subject…,” Jaishankar concluded.