India’s ties with other nations are based on sovereign equality and mutual respect and it does not believe in a “hierarchical” world order where few countries are considered superior to others, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said here on Monday.
His observations came in the backdrop of China’s growing assertiveness in South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific beside continuing tension with India at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Making the country’s stand clear while addressing a roundtable conference of ambassadors ahead of the Aero India Exhibition in Bengaluru from February 13-17, he also said India’s international relations are guided by the very essence of human equality and dignity and it does not believe in making or becoming a client or satellite state.
Eighty ambassadors attended the conference organised by Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence. The defence minister said India’s national efforts towards ‘Make in India’ are neither “isolationist” nor are they meant for the country alone as he made an open offer of partnerships with New Delhi for production of various military equipment.
“We do not believe in making or becoming a client or satellite state, and so, when we partner any nation, it is on the basis of sovereign equality and mutual respect,” he said while inviting the ambassadors to the mega event.
Rajnath said “partnership and joint efforts” are the two key words that differentiate India’s defence industry cooperation with other nations. “India does not believe in a hierarchical conception of world order, where few countries are considered superior to others.”
Underlining that the ‘make-in-India’ programme encompasses make-for-the-world, the defence minister asserted that the self-reliance initiative is the beginning of a “new paradigm of partnership” with India’s partner countries.
“Within the domain of defence research and development and manufacturing, it translates into an open offer to you all, for joint efforts and partnerships in defence R and D and production,” he said.
“When we are procuring defence equipment from our valued partner nations, very often, they are sharing the technical know-how, setting up manufacturing plants in India, and working with our local firms for various sub-systems,” the defence minister said. He noted that it is India’s endeavour to transcend the relation of buyer and seller to that of a co-development and co-production model, “irrespective of whether we are a buyer or a seller”.