In an address at the United Nations General Assembly, New Delhi’s top diplomat on Saturday took the opportunity to criticise Pakistan and China for undermining the territorial integrity of their neighbours and made an urgent call for a “more representative” UN to solve the world’s myriad problems.
In his speech, Jaishankar made an urgent call for a “more representative” UN. Photo: AP alt=In his speech, Jaishankar made an urgent call for a “more representative” UN. Photo: AP>
“Unviable projects raise debt levels. Any connectivity that clouds sovereignty and territorial integrity acquires strategic connotations, especially when it is not a shared endeavour,” Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said in his UNGA address, referencing the contentious US$62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project that passes through the disputed Kashmir region.
CPEC was launched in 2015 as part of China’s signature Belt and Road Initiative, aimed at bolstering regional connectivity through significant infrastructure development. India maintains that the project violates its territorial integrity and sovereignty.
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In his speech Saturday, Jaishankar attributed Pakistan’s dismal economic situation to its “conscious choices” and neighbourhood “misdeeds”.
“Countries get left behind due to circumstances beyond their control, but some make conscious choices with disastrous consequences,” he said. “A premier example is our neighbour, Pakistan. Unfortunately, the misdeeds affect others as well, especially the neighbourhood”.
The foreign minister taunted Islamabad saying “its GDP can only be measured in terms of radicalisation and its exports in the form of terrorism”.
Jaishankar added that “dysfunctional” Pakistan’s problems were “only karma”, warning that “actions will certainly have consequences”.
New Delhi has long accused Islamabad of perpetrating terrorism in Kashmir, a region claimed in its entirety by both nuclear powers.
Since Narendra Modi became India‘s prime minister in 2014, the country has sought to position itself as a leading global power and an alternative to China in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.
In recent years, New Delhi has also intensified efforts to secure a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. Founded in 1946, the council is responsible for maintaining international peace and security among the UN’s 193 member states.
“We see that vividly in every challenge and every crisis, reforming multilateralism is therefore an imperative,” Jaishankar told the UNGA on Saturday.
He empahsized that “large parts of the world cannot be left behind when it comes to deciding the key issues of our times, an effective and efficient UN, a more representative UN, and a UN fit for purpose in the contemporary era, is essential”.
Jaishankar claimed that reforming the UN was essential not as “a competition for influence or a squabble for positions, but because if we carry on like this, the state of the world is only going to get worse”.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday. Photo: Reuters alt=Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday. Photo: Reuters>
The council’s five members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the US — each have veto power to single-handedly block any measure.
Earlier this week, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron publicly endorsed India’s bid to join the powerful UN body.
“We want to see permanent African representation on the council, Brazil, India, Japan and Germany as permanent members, and more seats for elected members as well,” Starmer said in his address to the UN General Assembly on Thursday.
Earlier Macron called for making the UN “more efficient” and said France sought to have the Security Council expanded.
“Germany, Japan, India and Brazil should be permanent members as well as two countries that Africa will decide to represent it,” the French leader added.
When Modi visited the US last week to attend the US -led summit of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue alongside the leaders of Australia and Japan, US President Joe Biden said Washington recognised a need to reform global institutions to “reflect India’s important voice”.
However, Beijing has consistently voiced opposition to New Delhi’s bid for permanent membership. The two countries have a long-running territorial dispute involving their Himalayan border.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday. Photo: AFP via Ukrainian Presidential Press Service alt=Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday. Photo: AFP via Ukrainian Presidential Press Service>
China’s rising global clout has pushed India towards Washington, evident in the two countries’ deepening defence and diplomatic ties in recent years.
As a strategic partnership, the Quad seeks to counter China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific. And last week’s summit yielded a plan for India to lead maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean.
New Delhi of late has not shied away from crises around the world.
Modi visited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv in August, offering to help bring peace to the war-torn country.
The two met again last week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly despite Modi maintaining close economic ties with Moscow in defiance of the West.
Along with Russia, China, Brazil and South Africa, India is a founding member of Brics, an association of five major emerging national economies unaligned with the West.
This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Copyright (c) 2024. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
