Swamy moots India, China, US 'trilateral system'

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Subramanian Swamy here on Saturday said China's stance on Pakistan would change by September, and added India, China and the US should cooperate with each other by becoming the part of a 'trilateral system'.

"China will change. If we tell them that the US, France and Russia have agreed to mark Pakistan a 'terror state' and they should do the same. They will have to change," he said on the sidelines of Annual Calcutta Dialogue 2019 in the West Bengal capital.

"Our objective should not be to support the US or China, but to be a part of the trilateral system," he stressed.

"Obviously, we would be closer to China as we are neighbours and both of us have influence in south-east Asia, either politically or culturally. Therefore, our objective should be not to involve in any bilateral controversy between these three countries ever," he said.

According to him, if the US has a problem with China, India should have nothing to do with it. Same way, if India has a problem with the US, one should not expect China to side with India.

On certain issues, China is expected to be with India and that has to be done with discussion as it is also a victim of terrorism.

On China's support to Pakistan, he said: "When Chinese make a commitment, they keep it and that is what explains their relationship with Pakistan. I am not happy with their relationship with Pakistan and would like to request them to be with us instead or at least stay neutral."

The priority should be to resolve all the tensions between India and China. India must be clear about neighbouring country's objective before promoting the Chinese language, understanding of their culture and so on, the BJP veteran said.

--IANS

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