India believes that a free, open, safe, secure, peaceful, prosperous and stable Indo-Pacific is a necessary precondition for peace, security and prosperity of the world, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Friday amid China’s aggressive posturing on maritime issues.

“The transformation of India is critical to strengthening multipolarity in Asia itself, a prerequisite for a multipolar world. India’s growing weight will ensure that the overall balance in the world order remains in favour of freedom, openness, transparency and a rules-based order,” he said while addressing the Nikkei Asia 2024 Future of Asia Forum.

Noting that India’s approach to an uncertain world has been shaped by its broadening horizons, widening interests and a reformist agenda, Dr Jaishankar said the country seeks to lead by example.

The ongoing Lok Sabha elections, he emphasised, underline that democracies can really deliver. ”That delivery is seen in socio-economic benefits being efficiently distributed on an impressive scale. Whether it is digital delivery of public goods and services or the ease of living, our start-up and innovation ecosystem or ease of doing business, India is now racing to catch up even while seeking to leapfrog.”

The Indian minister said India’s infrastructure progress is also keeping pace. ”We are building 28 kilometres of highway every day, 14 kilometres of railway track daily, creating eight new airports and on an average 1.5 metros every year. Alongside, we have doubled the number of our technical and medical institutions. This is the India that seeks to attract more partnerships from Japan,” he added.

Dr Jaishankar observed that the world is undergoing a flux driven by geopolitical, geo-economic and geo-technological developments. In the last four decades, economic and political rebalancing accelerated by globalisation has been driving us towards multipolarity. Today, the global order is visibly under stress, with Asia and the Indo-Pacific very much part of this transformation.

”But it is not just change we are seeing; there is also much greater risk-taking. It is visible in the conflict in Ukraine, in violence in the Middle East and in the disregard for international law and agreements in Asia and the Indo-Pacific. This has economic facets, perhaps even more concerning,” he added.

He said India, under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, has initiated the Neighbourhood First Policy for the Sub-Continent. This is a consultative, outcome-oriented and non-reciprocal approach that has promoted regionalism by extending credit lines and grants.

India and ASEAN are neighbours sharing millennia-old cultural and civilizational linkages. ASEAN is at the heart of India’s Act East Policy which matured into a wider Indo-Pacific vision. ”We strongly support ASEAN unity, centrality and cohesion. The Trilateral Highway from India to Thailand and beyond, when completed, will literally bring our regions much closer,” he added.

Dr Jaishankar said the ongoing Lok Sabha elections underline that democracies can really deliver. That delivery is seen in socio-economic benefits being efficiently distributed on an impressive scale.

Underlining the need for further consolidation of India-Japan relationship in diverse areas, he said the challenges facing the global order have only underlined the importance of cooperation and coordination amongst countries, particularly in Asia. ”India believes in moving forward through engagement and dialogue, multipolarity and reformed multilateralism. We will work with Japan and our Asian partners to realise a secure, sustainable and prosperous future of Asia,” he added.