Amid soaring Chinese outreach, India needs to enhance development diplomacy

A parliamentary panel has recommended that India needs to review and enhance its developmental diplomacy in view of the increasing Chinese outreach and presence in its neighbourhood.

This view of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs is part of the action taken report tabled by the government in Parliament earlier this week.

The ministry report was on the panel's observations on the subject Demands for Grants' of the ministry for the year 2022-23.

It also dealt with aid allocations to India's neighbouring countries, including Afghanistan and Nepal.

"In view of the increasing Chinese outreach and presence in India's neighbourhood, the Committee feel that India needs to review and enhance their developmental diplomacy," the panel said.

It further suggested that "a strategy/vision should be formulated to expand our developmental partnership, particularly capacity building and knowledge sharing, to effectively counter the presence of other regional powers in our neighbourhood."

The ministry submitted that the Government of India attaches high priority to the relationship with neighbouring countries and has a well articulated policy of 'Neighbourhood First'.

In its reply, the Ministry of External Affairs told the panel that primary orientation of India's foreign policy remains its immediate neighbourhood under the 'Neighbourhood First' policy.

The overarching philosophy is to ensure that our partners in the region draw benefits and values from the growth, development and rise of India and on this basis, all countries in our region work towards developing equitable partnerships with each other, the ministry said in the report.