Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar on Tuesday said that the public facet of Indo-Sino relations in the country was “overly negative”. Calling for greater connectivity and cooperation among all neighbouring states, he said, “We should make greater efforts to get a more balanced picture and create a more balanced picture, as well.”
Before being appointed the foreign secretary of India, Jaishankar had served as the Indian ambassador to China.
The diplomat also stressed that instead of judging United States President Donald Trump, one should take him more seriously. “There is a very well quoted remark about Donald Trump that the American people and the media take him literally, but not seriously. I would say, don’t rush to judgment. It is important to take him seriously,” he said.
Jaishankar had expressed similar opinions on Trump earlier, as well. During the Gateway Dialogue event in Delhi last month, he had said that the US president should be analysed, and not “demonised”.
Moving on to the growing menace of militancy, Jaishankar said, “Nothing has globalised more than terrorism,” adding that militancy ought to be fought unitedly. “The responses to it [militancy] have remained very tactical and national. Therefore, it has been very limited.” As an instance, the foreign secretary suggested greater US-Russia cooperation to deal with the Syrian crisis. “It would be a good beginning,” he added.
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