“I would say, in many ways, those are bilateral choices that all of us have to make, we each have a very substantial relationship with China. And, in many ways, China being today is such a big player and so salient in the international economy, I think it's natural that these relationships are quite unique”, Jaishankar replied.
“So, I think it's very important not to be sort of railroaded into some kind of negative discourse, which actually is not from our script, it is somebody else's script”, Jaishankar said.
Doesn’t Matter if India is Central to US’ Indo-Pacific Strategy, Says Ex-Diplomat
“There is a basic difference between what the US wants India to do and what our goals are. India is a partner of the US, not an ally”, says Malik, a former Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer.
“This [strategic autonomy] gives us choices to act in a way suitable to our national interests. We can always align our policy as per the needs of the situation. Getting into any alliance wouldn’t afford us the same opportunity”, the veteran Indian diplomat reckons.
“In no way could the Quad for the India-US bilateral relationship for that matter be characterised as being directed against any third country, including China”, the ex-diplomat stated.