External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar distanced the Indian government from Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat’s statement that the “clash of civilisations” theory described China’s growing ties with the Islamic world vis-a-vis the West.
"India had never subscribed to any clash of civilisations theory,” he said.
Jaishankar on Thursday, 16 September, met with Wang Yi at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) gathering in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe.
The Minister of External Affairs reportedly clarified during his meeting with Wang that India and China had and will continue to establish a relationship based on mutual respect.
Jaishankar said in a Twitter post, "Emphasised that India does not subscribe to any clash of civilisations theory. It is also essential that China does not view its relations with India through the lens of a third country."
“As for Asian solidarity, it is for China and India to set an example," the tweet read.
Jaishankar met with Wang Yi at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) gathering in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe.
(Photo: Twitter/ @DrSJaishankar)
According to the MEA, since their last meeting on 14 July, "the two sides had made some progress in the resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh and had completed the disengagement in Gogra area".
Jaishankar had reportedly "emphasised that the two sides should work towards early resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh".
China Is Getting More Aggressive: General Rawat
A day earlier General Rawat said in New Delhi, “We are seeing some kind of a jointmanship between the Sinic and Islamic civilisations. You can see China now making friends with Iran, they are moving towards Turkey… And they will step into Afghanistan in the years to come…. Is that going to lead to a clash of civilisations with the Western civilisation?”
“We are now heading back to a bi-polar or multi-polar world, and whether it is good or bad for international community only time will tell. What we are certainly seeing is more aggression on the part of nations, specially the one that is trying to go into the bi-polar world or making their presence felt, that is China. They are becoming more and more aggressive and we share land borders with them," he said.
Rawat added that it was time to strategise, as to "how to deal with two borders, which are aggressive neighbours, adversaries. Pakistan on the western front and China on the north”.
(With inputs from The Indian Express)
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