Jaishankar Pushes For Multipolarity: 'Different Standards Applied To Neighbours In East & West'

Last Updated:February 04, 2025, 12:29 IST

Jaishankar criticised what he called "different standards" being applied to India's neighbours in the East and West and asserted that the world has entering a time of multipolarity.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar speaking at the India Centre. (S Jaishankar/X)

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reiterated his push for multilateralism on a global scale, saying different standards have been applied to countries in the East and in the West. The minister called out the selective and uneven application of “matters of principle" for different countries and asserted that any global agenda can no longer by set by a handful of powers.

Speaking at the second IIC-Bruegel Annual Seminar in Delhi, Jaishankar said, “The world is currently witnessing two major conflicts. These are often presented as matters of principle. We are told that the very future of the world order is at stake. Yet, the record shows how selectively and unevenly these principles have been applied."

Highlighted India’s own conflicts, the EAM said terrorism had been overlooked when convenient, in a nod towards Pakistan. “In our own continent, international law has been disregarded with significant consequences. Even on a question like democracy and military rule, different standards have been applied to our neighbours in the East and our neighbours in the West," he said, without taking names.

Jaishankar’s remarks hinted towards the “selective" and conflicting Western approach in the protection of democratic principles in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

‘Agenda Can No Longer Be Set By Some’

“It is not my case that principles are dispensable or that we must be utterly into realpolitik. But the agenda can no longer be set by some, only to be observed by the rest. This applies to passing judgement on and interfering in the domestic politics of others as well," he added.

Speaking on global trade, Jaishankar said large sections of the global intelligentsia have been in denial about the impact of the current model of globalised trade on societies and economies. “Openness and interlinkages were lauded as values in themselves, deliberately ignoring that free trade was increasingly less and less fair trade," he remarked.

He also highlighted a “serious overconcentration of manufacturing in a limited geography" with supplied chain vulnerabilities and leveraging of market shares and dependence in production, manufacturing and resources. “The domain of finance has seen similar developments that emanate from the salience of a few players," he said.

“The digital world carries its own share of challenges. It is paradoxical that many of us are so focused on data privacy and data security at home, but how concerned are we at the harvesting and deployment of this beyond our shores? What began as a debate when 5G technology started to being introduced is now a full-blown issue in the AI era," Jaishankar said.

Jaishankar on India-EU Relationship

The EAM highlighted the disappointment of the Global South over the lack of resources for a transition from developed nations, saying global gatherings have become an exercise in creative accounting rather than solution-finding. He slammed “protectionism" in the name of climate and said the developed world seemed indifferent to the predicament of the Global South after Covid-19.

Asserting that the world is entering a time of multipolarity and rebalancing, Jaishankar said India and the European Union have a similar quest for convergence, common interests and shared values. “In a world that promises to be so volatile and so uncertain, a stronger India-EU relationship can be an important stabilising factor," he said.

“India is certainly cognizant of the greater strategic awakening of Europe in the last few years. We already see that happening, for example, in closer defence in security and technology cooperation. The bottom line is that the India-EU relationship is more important than ever before," he added.

The minister said it was also time to get along with an India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA). “We established the Trade and Technology Council to deal with controlled technologies and digital transactions. Our interactions today extend from disaster resilience and clean technologies to sustainable urbanization and infrastructure development. The European Union is India’s largest economic partner," he said.

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