Britain’s planned “Indo-Pacific tilt” is as much about managing the challenges and pressures arising from China’s assertive actions as it is about seizing opportunities in the region, British Foreign Secretary Dominic said on Wednesday. Raab.
Raab, who held talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar on Tuesday about a 10-year roadmap for bilateral ties and a free trade agreement, also said he raised the farmers’ protest in Delhi in view of the strong connection between the politics of the two countries given the Indian diaspora in Britain.
In an interaction with a small group of Indian reporters, Raab said the UK was acting to address “as quickly as possible” the pending legal issues that have delayed the extradition of fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya.
The UK’s Integrated Defense and Foreign Policy Review, to be released in early 2021, is expected to describe the “Indo-Pacific tilt”, and Raab said China’s rise is juxtaposed with the growth of economies in Southeast Asia and the Far East today both challenges and opportunities.
“Actually, all of that is part of the Indo-Pacific lean, which is to be more committed to seizing the opportunities but also more committed to managing some of the challenges and pressures,” he said in response to a question about belligerent actions. from China. including the military confrontation with India along the Royal Line of Control (LAC).
“Obviously, there is the rise of China and the position of China, and the opportunities, but also the risks that it presents,” he said.
India and the UK, Raab said, can cooperate on issues such as cybersecurity and the fight against disinformation. The UK has also signed free trade agreements with Japan, Vietnam and South Korea and has applied to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as a dialogue partner as part of its broader trade and investment engagement with the Indo-Pacific.
In the context of British Indian MPs calling on the UK government to raise the farmers’ protest to New Delhi, Raab said he had discussed the issue with Jaishankar.
“Obviously, we respect the fact that the reforms your system is going through here are internal reforms. Of course, they have sparked the protests you are referring to, and their policy, in a sense due to the Indian diaspora in Britain, is our policy, ”he said.
“But I think India, in addition to having a market-driven economy, also has a vibrant heritage of peaceful protests and vigorous debate, and we look at it with interest and respect that.”
When asked about the delay in Mallya’s extradition, Raab declined to specify whether the matter had been raised during their meetings in New Delhi, but said the two sides always had discussions on “issues of concern.” He added: “We have made it clear that in those cases, there are still some pending legal issues. Obviously, they are independent of politics or political intervention, but we would like them to accelerate as quickly as possible. ”
The UK previously said that a “confidential” legal issue was delaying Mallya’s extradition. The British stance led to speculation that the 64-year-old businessman, wanted in India to face financial wrongdoing charges, may have applied for asylum in the UK.
Raab also said Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s visit in January to join the Republic Day celebrations as the main guest will help boost cooperation on the Covid-19 crisis, trade, maritime issues and climate change. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be invited to both the G7 leaders’ summit and the United Nations Conference on Climate Change to be hosted by the United Kingdom in 2021, he said.
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