Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said even China has been forced to accept that India is an “economic and strategic power”. He was referring to an article in the Global Times, which is a Chinese government publication, that has praised India’s rising global stature.
“Ab aisa nahi hai ki Bharat ko ankh dikha ke jo chahe so nikal jaye (No one can scare us and get away with it),” he said sharing the aspects of the article during a reception organised by the High Commission of India on his London visit.
The article, titled ‘What I feel about the Bharat Narrative in India’, by Zhang Jiadong has stated that India will be the top country in terms of economic ranking as projected by 2075-2080. “It is projected that by 2075-2080, India will be the No. 1 country in terms of economic ranking. This is the image of India today because of the fast pace of growth,” said Singh in Hindi while interacting with at least 200 persons of Indian origin.
His speech was later briefly summarised by Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami in English. The community reception was attended by Indian military ex-servicemen and family members of World War II veterans. The minister addressed the gathering to apprise them of the fast pace of growth and development underway in India.
“Even the Chinese government has been forced to accept that India today is an economic and strategic power, as expressed by a writer reflecting the Chinese government’s views. We don’t consider anyone an opponent but there is a perception that India-China relations are not good though we want good relations with all countries. Yes, against that perception, even our neighbouring country China accepts India’s growing heft as a global power today,” he said.
According to a report published by ANI, Singh further said China’s perception of India has changed since the Galwan Valley clash in 2020. “I believe that the courage shown by our jawans during the standoff with Chinese troops at Galwan (Valley in Arunachal Pradesh) helped alter Beijing’s perspective on India. We are no longer a weak country in the eyes of the world. We are a rising global power. Ab aisa nahi hai ki Bharat ko ankh dikha ke jo chahe so nikal jaye (No one can scare us and get away with it),” he was quoted as saying by ANI.
The minister further said previously, when trade imbalances were discussed, India would count on Beijing to minimise trade imbalances between the two countries. But, that trend is no longer in vogue, he added.
The writer of article, Zhang Jiadong, is the director of the Centre for South Asian Studies at Fudan University. The article highlighted India’s achievements in the last four years in an opinion piece published on January 2. It acknowledged the country’s economic growth, improvements in urban governance, and a shift in attitude towards international relations, notably with China. It also praised the multi-alignment strategy initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in context of relations with the US, Japan and Russia.
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