By PTI
NEW DELHI: India on Thursday said its policy on Taiwan is clear and consistent and it is focused on promoting interactions in areas of trade, investment and tourism among others.
India’s position on Taiwan was articulated by Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan while replying to a question in Rajya Sabha.
“Government of India’s policy on Taiwan is clear and consistent,” he said in a written reply.
“Government facilitates and promotes interactions in areas of trade, investment, tourism, culture, education and other such people-to-people exchanges,” the minister added.
He was asked whether the government is looking forward to augmenting its diplomatic, economic, trade and bilateral relationship with Taiwan to a strategic level.
India doesn’t have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but both sides have trade and people-to-people ties.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory.
To a separate question, he said the Ministry of External Affairs has taken up with foreign governments the need for easing travel restrictions on Indian students enrolled in foreign universities.
“Consequently, travel restrictions have been eased for Indian students to travel to many countries including USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg etc,” Muraleedharan said.
The Quad partnership is one of the ways that could help address strategic competition and geopolitical challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Thursday.
He said the Quad partnership has the capacity to address contemporary global challenges and mutual concerns while highlighting the importance of a rules-based international order.
In remarks at the 5th India-US Forum, he said the ability of the member states of the Quad to work together as democratic nations would also bolster respect for international law and ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
“The Quad partnership is one of the ways in which we could address strategic competition and geopolitical challenges in the Indo-Pacific region,” Shringla said.
“In recent times we have seen several countries articulating their vision and strategies for the Indo-Pacific. We welcome this trend, which is an indication of the growing significance of the Indo-Pacific and the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region,” he said.
The Quad, comprising India, the US, Japan and Australia, has emerged as a major platform focusing on ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific.
US President Joe Biden hosted the first in-person summit of Quad leaders in Washington in September.
Shringla said the way ahead will involve regular coordination among the Quad countries to implement the vision of leaders and crystallise the constructive spirit of the grouping.
He was speaking on the topic: ‘Quad and Future of the Indo-Pacific’.
“Broadly, there are three kinds of initiatives that the Quad is handling the first set has a practical implication and is aimed at the well-being of the people of the Indo-Pacific region,” Shringla said.
In this context, the foreign secretary described as the “prime example” the Quad vaccine initiative that seeks to supply one billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine to countries in the region by the end of 2022.
“The second set of Quad initiatives will bring together the four countries to address contemporary issues such as cyber Security and 5G where Quad seeks to adopt and implement shared standards, principles and norms; and promote secure and trustworthy equipment and infrastructure,” he said.
“Under the third category, Quad countries will collaborate amongst themselves through initiatives such as the Quad Fellowship programme,” he added.
Shringla said the way ahead will involve regular coordination among the Quad countries to implement the vision of leaders and crystallise the constructive spirit of the grouping.
He said the COVID-19 vaccine initiative under the Quad framework, in particular, reflects its collective commitment to combat the pandemic.
“Timely delivery of vaccines will require all four countries leveraging their respective capacities,” he said.
“The vaccine initiative will enhance global vaccination efforts and build resilient supply chains. It could also become the template for our work together in combating future pandemics, natural disasters, or building resilient supply chains,” he said.
In his opening remarks, Shringla said the Quad has indeed come of age and is focussed on a positive agenda aimed at the well-being of the people of the Indo-Pacific region.
He said as vibrant and pluralistic democracies with shared values, India and the US share the vision of a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific, where there is respect for international law, freedom of navigation, territorial integrity and sovereignty and peaceful settlement of disputes.
“This vision also brings together the Quad which is committed to advancing the security and economic interests of all countries having legitimate and vital interests in the Indo-Pacific region,” Shringla said.
The state of the relationship between India and China will reflect the state of the border, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday, referring to the lingering standoff in eastern Ladakh.
In an interactive session at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, he said the two countries cannot have a “tense, high-friction border” and have great relations in other areas.
Jaishankar said it is not a realistic expectation to carry on with the relationship when there is a tense border and asserted that questions like why it happened and what does it reflect are completely legitimate.
“And as we have made clear — the state of the relationship, at the end of the day, will reflect the state of the border. You can’t have a tense, high-friction border and have great relations in all other parts of life. It does not work that way,” he said.
“It is inevitable that this will sort of spill over, it has already spilt over into other domains and the expectation that somehow we will contain it in a narrow sense and carry on with the rest of life, I think, is not a realistic one,” the external affairs minister said.
“We do have a significant issue there for us and also for them because I frankly don’t think it is in the interest of either country that our relationship goes off in this direction,” he added.
Referring to China bringing in forces to the border that triggered the row, Jaishankar said the neighbouring country violated commitments.
“In terms of bringing forces to the border, it is not an impression that we had or we thought we had an understanding. We had it in cold print in two agreements. So there is no ambiguity on that score,” he said.
“There were very, very clear-cut commitments not to mass forces on the border and those commitments stand violated as of 2020 spring,” the minister said.
He said the issue at the end of the day is that the sight of woods should not be lost for trees, adding, “I think the trees are individual incidents or attempts to unilaterally change the status quo or to violate the LAC (Line of Actual Control).”
Jaishankar said the troops of both sides are deployed “sometimes uncomfortably closely” and discussions are going on between the two countries to resolve the issues.
Asked about the situation in Afghanistan, he said the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2593 was an expression of widespread concern in the world on a set of issues.
The UNSC resolution, adopted on August 30 under India’s presidency of the global body, talked about the need for upholding human rights in Afghanistan, demanded that Afghan territory should not be used for terrorism and that a negotiated political settlement to the crisis should be found.
Jaishankar said the most prominent of the issues was would the Afghan soil be used by terrorists and foreign fighters to target other countries.
Also, the nature of the regime in Afghanistan, would it be inclusive, and the nature of governance, the treatment of women, children and minorities, freedom of movement for Afghans, he said.
“I would say a lot of those concerns, remain live concerns,” he added.
Jaishankar said India has been deliberative about its choices in Afghanistan and careful about assessments and is not being led by arguments that others are doing it.
On the humanitarian situation, he said the general consensus has been that there is a need to do something for the Afghan people, notwithstanding the difficult situation.
The minister said India offered to send 50,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan and favoured unhindered access to the country, besides pitching for distribution of supplies in a responsible and fair manner.
Asked about the Quad, he said, “It is for something, it is not against somebody.”
He said the agenda of the Quad is focussed on COVID-19 vaccines, trusted and secure technologies, promoting reliable and resilient supply chains, connectivity projects and ensuring maritime security and safety.
Asked what India will bring to the “Summit of Democracy” being hosted by the United States, Jaishankar said he is “very confident” about the state of the Indian democracy.
He said Indian elections and the electoral process are not in doubt, and popular participation in elections is rising.
