Page 14 - The Indian EYE 093022

OP-ED SEPTEMBER 30, 2022 | The Indian Eye 14

India, US, China and the

Pacific influence

Views and opinions from the top commentators in Indian media

hina’s ambassador to India
Sun Weidong has said that the
Cborder situation is “switch-
ing to normalized management and
control” and that bilateral ties have
shown positive momentum this year.
The ambassador’s comments con-
trasts with the fact that troop disen-
gagement process in eastern Ladakh
remains incomplete and Beijing con-
tinues to block UN sanctions against
Pakistan-based terrorists. In fact,
since March when Chinese foreign
minister Wang Yi visited India, Bei-
jing has been making subtle overtures
to New Delhi. There are two possible
reasons for this. First, the Chinese
are now confident that they have
achieved their near-term objectives
along the LAC with most of the dis-
engagement buffer zones coming up
on the Indian side of the boundary
and the PLA further bolstering its in-
frastructure on its side.
The second reason relates to Chi-
na feeling pressured by the US in East
Asia and is therefore looking to keep External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar speaking at UN General Debate in New York on Tuesday (ANI)
India relatively neutral. This is an old
Chinese tactic – Beijing will talk co- “obligation” to ensure that the air- in 2016 citing the anti-Tehreek-e-Tal- shared by many other member na-
operation with New Delhi whenever craft are maintained and sustained to iban operation — these aircraft have tions. While speeches at the UNGA
it is in a tight spot strategically but bolster Islamabad’s capability to deal played an important role. are often laced with bombast, in this
will revert to an aggressive posture with “clear terrorist threats” from al -- Editorial, The Indian Express case, the Indian foreign minister ap-
when the pressure eases. Thus, India Qaeda and ISIS. Truly, the US does pears to be on the mark. Indeed, the
should stick to its position that there not fool anybody with this explana- The UN Reforms 77th session of the General Assem-
can be no normalization until China tion. Whether Pakistan fought ter- bly, which concluded on Tuesday,
drops its aggressive behavior. In fact, rorism at all has been a question of ndia has long argued for reforms saw multiple world leaders highlight-
New Delhi should keep up the pres- international debate. What role, if to the United Nations, especially ing the need for UN reforms when it
sure by teaming up with Washington any, Pakistan’s F-16s played in this is Ito its top executive body, the Se- was their turn to speak.
to counter Beijing’s growing influ- even more unclear. Much of the glob- curity Council. Over the past week, a They included Joe Biden, the
ence among the Pacific Island nations. al “war on terror” in Afghanistan was series of signals from other countries president of the United States of
fought by US and NATO troops on suggests that New Delhi’s plea might America, as well Volodymyr Zelen-
-- Editorial, The Times of India
the ground, and from the skies it was finally be gaining urgent traction. In sky, the president of Ukraine. Echo-
F-16s and Pakistan UAVs that rained missiles on high his address to the UN General As- ing them for once was their arch-en-
value targets. Pakistan’s two failed sembly on Sunday, the external affairs emy, Sergey Lavrov, the foreign
xternal Affairs Minister S operations on its territory against the minister, S. Jaishankar, described the minister of Russia, who specifically
Jaishankar rightly called out Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan included current architecture of the UN as named India and Brazil as worthy
Ethe United States for trying the Air Force. If F-16s were deployed anachronistic and ineffective, and ar- candidates in a reformed and ex-
to justify its $450 million F-16 refur- in those operations, the results have gued that multilateral reforms were a panded Security Council.
bishment package to Pakistan as one not been promising. But to the ex- core focus of the governance agenda
aimed at retaining “interoperability tent that the US has used the F-16s of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. -- Editorial, The Telegraph
with US and partner forces in ongo- as a reward for Pakistan — first for He argued that the changes
ing counter-terrorism efforts and in its role in the defeat of the Soviet needed to make the UN and other Every week, we look at what the top
preparation for future contingency Union in the first Afghan war, then multilateral agencies more demo- commentators in the Indian media are
operations”. In response, US Sec- as a sweetener in 2001 after comman- cratic could no longer wait. Mr Jais- talking about and bring to you a slice
retary of State Antony Blinken has deering its co-operation in the inva- hankar also suggested that the desire of their opinions and comments
reiterated that it was Washington’s sion of Afghanistan, and once again for reforms in the UN system was

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