SCO summit: EAM Jaishankar flags conflicts, competition, coercion

In a reference to China restricting the supply of critical minerals, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Tuesday expressed India’s concerns over “conflicts, competition and coercion” as well as economic instability, underlining the need to stabilise the global order and address longstanding challenges that “threaten our collective interests”.

 

Addressing his Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) counterparts in Tianjin, China, Jaishankar urged the grouping to remain true to its founding objective of combating terrorism and extremism, and to take an “uncompromising” stance on these issues. He also elaborated on India’s rationale for Operation Sindoor, defending the country’s response to the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22, in which 26 people were killed. Earlier in the day, Jaishankar, along with other foreign ministers of SCO member states, called on Chinese President Xi Jinping.

 

 

Jaishankar called for improved transit facilities and better connectivity among SCO member states. “Deepening collaboration within the SCO naturally requires more trade, investment, and exchanges. For that to move to the next level, it is imperative that we address some current issues,” he observed.

 

“One of them is the lack of assured transit within the SCO space. Its absence undermines the seriousness of advocating cooperation in economic areas. Another is the need to ensure the promotion of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC),” he said.

 

The INSTC is a 7,200-kilometre-long multi-modal transport project for moving freight among India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia, and Europe. India has consistently supported the project.

 

Jaishankar’s comments on terrorism — made in the presence of his counterparts from Pakistan, China, and other SCO member nations — come amid India’s concerns during and after Operation Sindoor over Beijing’s assistance to Islamabad. China has also blocked India’s efforts at the United Nations Security Council to sanction Pakistan-based terrorists.

 

On June 26, at the SCO defence ministers’ meeting in Qingdao, China, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had refused to sign a draft joint communiqué because it omitted the Pahalgam terror attack and did not explicitly address India’s concerns over Pakistan-backed cross-border terrorism.

 

While Singh had demanded that the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam be mentioned in the communiqué, the Pakistani delegation insisted that the document include a paragraph on militant activities in Balochistan. “India wanted concerns reflected in the document, which was not acceptable to a particular country. As such, the joint statement was not adopted,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said.

 

On Tuesday, alluding to Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which has faced criticism, Jaishankar said in Tianjin that India will continue to approach new ideas and proposals positively, but such cooperation must be based on “mutual respect”, “sovereign equality”, and in accordance with the “territorial integrity and sovereignty” of member states.

 

Jaishankar said the Pahalgam attack was “deliberately conducted” to undermine Jammu & Kashmir’s tourism economy and sow religious discord. The SCO foreign ministers’ meeting will decide on the agenda for the SCO Summit in Tianjin later this year, which Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi is expected to attend.

 

Jaishankar also held separate meetings with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, focusing on bilateral cooperation and the situation in West Asia. Among other topics, Jaishankar and Lavrov discussed the evolving regional security scenario. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit India later this year for the annual India-Russia summit.

 

In his speech at the SCO foreign ministers’ meeting, Jaishankar said, “Economic instability is also visibly on the rise. The challenge before us is to stabilise the global order, derisk various dimensions, and, through it all, address longstanding challenges that threaten our collective interests.” 

 

He argued that the SCO’s ability to shape world affairs will depend on how well it unites behind a shared agenda. “That means taking everybody on board,” he said. “The world is today moving towards greater multi-polarity. This is not just in terms of redistribution of national capacities, but also the emergence of effective groupings like the SCO.”

 

The external affairs minister also urged the grouping to step up development assistance to Afghanistan. The SCO — comprising India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, and Belarus — is an influential economic and security bloc that has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations.

 

The Congress on Tuesday expressed hope that PM Modi will “finally agree” to a discussion on China during the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, pointing out that if Parliament could debate the border situation during the 1962 Chinese invasion, then there is no reason it can’t do so now.

 

Tagging a media report on Jaishankar meeting Xi Jinping and apprising him of recent developments in India-China ties, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at the EAM, saying he is “now running a full-blown circus aimed at destroying India’s foreign policy”.

 

“I guess the Chinese foreign minister will come and apprise Modi about recent developments in China-India ties. The EAM is now running a full-blown circus aimed at destroying India’s foreign policy,” Gandhi said in a post on X.

 

Jaishankar and his SCO counterparts met Chinese President Xi on Tuesday.