Edited by Deepali Verma
Defence minister Rajnath Singh remarked that even China has been forced to accept that Bharat is an “economic and strategic power”. His response came in reference to an article in the Global Times, a Chinese government publication, that praised Bharat’s rising global stature.
“Ab aisa nahi hai ki Bharat ko ankh dikha ke jo chahe so nikal jaye (No one can scare us and get away with it),” he, said in response while sharing the aspects of the article during a reception organised by the High Commission of India on his London visit.
‘What I feel about the Bharat Narrative in India’, an article by Zhang Jiadong, read that Bharat will be the top country with respect to economic ranking as projected by 2075-2080. “The projections reflect that by 2075-2080, Bharat will be the No. 1 country regarding the economic ranking. This is Bharat’s image today due to the fast pace of growth,” said Singh in Hindi during his interaction with at least 200 persons of Bharatiya origin.
Later, Singh’s speech was briefly summarised by Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami in English. The community reception held the presence of Bharatiya military ex-servicemen and family members of World War II veterans. The minister addressed the gathering to apprise them of the fast pace of growth and development underway in Bharat.
“We don’t regard anyone as an opponent but there is a perception that India-China relations are rocky though we want good and healthy relations with all countries. Yes, against that perception, even our neighbouring country China is in acceptance of Bharat’s growing heft as a global power today,” he said.
As per a report published by ANI, Singh further stated that China’s perception of Bharat has changed post the Galwan Valley clash in 2020. “I believe that the courage displayed by our jawans during the course of the entire standoff with Chinese troops at Galwan (Valley in Arunachal Pradesh) helped transform Beijing’s perspective on Bharat. We are no longer a weak country in the eyes of the world but rather we are a rising global power,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.
The minister during the discussion of trade imbalances said that Bharat would count on Beijing to minimise trade imbalances between the two countries. But, that trend is no longer in vogue, he added.
The writer of the article, Zhang Jiadong, is the director of the Centre for South Asian Studies at Fudan University. The article at length discussed Bharat’s achievements in the last four years in an opinion piece published on January 2. It discussed the country’s economic growth, improvements in urban governance, and an evolving attitude towards international relations, notably with China. It further appreciated the non-alignment strategy initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the context of relations with the US, Japan and Russia.
