There is an imminent need for a “radical change” in the global order but the biggest opposer to the UNSC reforms is not a Western country, asserted External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar while taking an indirect dig at China.
Speaking at a panel discussion at the Raisina Dialogue, Jaishankar said, “When the UN was created, it had approximately 50 members. We have four times the members now. So, it’s a common sense proposition that you can’t continue the same way when you have four times the members.” His answer came in response to a question if the global system should be reformed or overhauled.
“The West, as the dominant force earlier, is largely responsible for where we are today. The new players haven’t helped. If you take UN Security Council (UNSC) reform, the biggest opposer is not a Western country,” he said in an apparent dig at China. “So, let’s get the totality of the problem right. We have to battle bit-by-bit to create groups for change,” he added.
Jaishankar’s remarks come as four out of five permanent members of the UNSC have supported India’s candidature for a permanent seat at the global body while China continues to take an ambivalent stand vis-a-vis India’s candidacy.
During a session titled ‘A Tapestry of Truths: Can the Two Hemispheres Agree?’, Jaishankar said, “If you look at the last five years, for all the big issues, in a way, we have not been able to find a multilateral solution. So, the lack of results demonstrates the case for reform.” Speaking about globalisation and a larger global rebalancing, the Union minister contended that the “world trading rules have been gamed.” “We have a lot of our challenges today that also emanate from how countries have used that for their benefit at the expense of the international system,” he said.
The minister described India as the “bridging power” in the international system. “A lot of what India is trying to do is a sort of multi-vector policy. In our language, we call it ‘Vishwa Mitra’ friend of the world,” he said while referring to the term used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the recently held Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit.
