India and China are working closely to counter threat of terrorism faced by two countries to ensure peace in their respective countries besides holding a regular dialogue for the last two years on Afghanistan in the backdrop of expected US withdrawal from there later this year, National Security Advisor (NSA) Shiv Shankar Menon said on Monday.
Threatened by terrorism and extremism, both countries have consulted and talked to each other on these issues for several years, Menon said adding this co-operation is logical as “India and China want to maintain their domestic environment. They don’t want the kind of uncertainty that is seen today.”
Making these observations while addressing a seminar, he said, “India and China have already started working together on security issues for obvious reasons. We share a periphery and interests. We both are threatened by the kind of terrorism and extremism that we see today. For several years, we have consulted and talked to each other on these issues.”
His remarks came even as the boundary issue remains unresolved between the two neighbours even as Beijing and New Delhi held several rounds of talks to find a solution to the 50-year-old dispute.
Elaborating upon the growing ties in the sphere of international arena, Menon said for the last two years, India and China are discussing the situation in Afghanistan especially the likely scenario after the US troops start withdrawal later this year.
The NSA said “uncertainty” was increasing in the global arena after 2008 and it was at its highest nowadays. On the global and regional threat perception, Menon said, “jehadi terrorism has dispersed and globalised.”
He said one big shift at the global stage was that China was rising and “accumulating” military power rapidly and was taking more interest in international activities than it used to do earlier.
Asked to list the top three threats, he said cyber security would be among the three along with terrorism. On the issue of terrorism, Menon said India has learnt its lessons to deal with the menace and “terrorism-related deaths have come down steadily in the last eight years”.
The NSA, however, refused to comment when asked if the Government was aware of reported plans of terror group Indian Mujahidddin to attack BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.