World Has Lot Riding On India And China: EAM Jaishankar

The world has a lot riding on India and China given their size and the impact, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, suggesting that the future of ties between the two countries would depend on reaching some kind of equilibrium or understanding.

In an online interaction at a CII summit, Jaishankar said there are problems between the two countries which are well laid out.

He was replying to a question on whether India and China will be able to become friends in the next 10-20 years just like the way France and Germany overcame their past to forge a new relationship.

Jaishankar did not give a direct reply, but briefly delved into broader historical aspects of the relationship.

We are neighbours of China. China is already the second largest economy in the world. We will be one day third. You can argue when. We are demographically two very unique countries. We are the only two countries in the billion plus (population) category, he said.

The period of our difficulties were similar which really started at least vis-a-vis the Europeans around the same timeframe, he said.

The external affairs minister said the period of re-emergence of the two countries in a very strong way in international politics is also not that far apart.