India a stabilising force, there are enough disruptors:: Jaishankar

NEW DELHI: India has not closed the door on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Wednesday, while pointing out that Delhi’s concerns were clearly expressed and the ball was in the court of the partner countries.

Speaking at the fifth Raisina Dialogue here, Jaishankar said there was a substantial gap between India’s position and that of other countries in the RCEP.

India will evaluate the RCEP, widely seen as a China-supported alternative to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) which covers 11 countries across the Pacific on the basis of trade merits, he added. Jaishankar further noted that India intends to be a stabilising force and not a disruptive power. “There are already enough forces of disruption in the world,” Jaishankar said.


“Somebody needs to make up a bit.” “It is also not the Indian way to be self-centered, to be mercantilist,” Jaishankar said. “Therefore it’s important to be global, law abiding, consultative.” The minister, speaking about China, said: ‘We are neighbours. We have to get along together and its a work in progress.’

The minister disagreed that India speaks more and does less, especially based on its record in the last five years. He said India has at least 142 connectivity projects, of which 53 have been completed. “There was a time when we probably spoke more and did less; today we are actually doing more than we speak,” Jaishankar said. He however, conceded that India is a prisoner of its past image, which has to change.

On the tensions between Iran and the United States, following theUS’s asassination of Iranian Gerneral Qassem Soleimani, Jaishankar stated that the “ball is in their court.” “What happens finally will depend on the players involved,” he added.