India’s foreign policy self contradictory: Chinese media

Beijing, Mar 17, 2014
While Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang signed an agreement pledging restraint on border issues, frequent quarrels are initiated by the Indian side along the Sino-Indian border, an article on the state-run Global Times’ website said.

Accusing India of following an ambiguous and contradictory foreign policy, an article in state-run Chinese media said its foreign policy lacks long term thinking and New Delhi’s “reluctant participation in the global system is jeopardising global governance progress”.

While Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang signed an agreement pledging restraint on border issues, frequent quarrels are initiated by the Indian side along the Sino-Indian border, an article on the state-run Global Times’ website said.

“That’s why when we talk of strengthening economic ties between Beijing and New Delhi, the so-called China threat remains a constant excuse for India’s military and nuclear arsenal build-up,” it said.

“What explains such self-contradictions? First, New Delhi rarely engages in long-term thinking about its foreign policy goals,” it said.Stating that India made contradictory pronouncements on Ukraine crisis, it said “in a changing international system, India is expected to play a role as stable regional balancer”.

“But India is doing its job so well that it is becoming a friend of almost all major powers, regardless of their divergent positions on major issues,” it said.”This makes India’s strategic intentions, if there are any, often at odds with its behaviour on international issues,” it said.The article came a ahead of commencement of third Strategic Economic Dialogue between the two countries here tomorrow.

“For instance, India boasts of its pluralist democracy model, but it is unwilling to incorporate this value in its foreign policy, and it’s trying to wear the mantle of Asian leadership without offering any new commitment or resources to that end. Analysts are often frustrated by such contradictions,” it said.It also said India refused to express concerns over Japan’s recent turn to the right-wing.”Now, India is registered as an important participant of almost all important world strategic issues. India’s reluctant participation in a greater role in the global system is jeopardising global governance progress and stagnating the creation of international and regional cooperation,” it said.