Cross-border terrorism doesn’t encourage trade, connectivity: EAM at SCO summit

In a thinly veiled message to Pakistan, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said if activities across borders were characterised by terrorism, extremism and separatism, they were hardly likely to encourage trade, energy flows, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges.

Jaishankar was speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit at Islamabad, where he also called upon the SCO to look at its own charter and have an “honest conversation” over a lack of trust and terrorism. The summit was chaired by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and attended among others by Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

Without naming Pakistan or China, Jaishankar flagged concerns over a number of challenges, including that of countering the “three evils” of terrorism, extremism and separatism.

“If activities across borders are characterised by terrorism, extremism and separatism, they are hardly likely to encourage trade, energy flows, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges in parallel,” the minister said at the summit.

The EAM also asserted that trade and connectivity initiatives must recognise territorial integrity and sovereignty. He said globalisation and rebalancing were realities, but cooperation must be based on mutual respect and sovereign equality. “It (cooperation) should recognise territorial integrity and sovereignty. It must be built on genuine partnerships, not unilateral agendas. It cannot progress if we cherry-pick global practices, especially of trade and transit”. He added, “If trust is lacking or cooperation inadequate, if friendship has fallen short and good neighbourliness is missing somewhere, there are surely reasons to introspect and causes to address”.

The remarks came amid the lingering military standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh and concerns over China’s increasing military muscle-flexing in the Indian Ocean and other strategic waters. China is locked in territorial disputes with many countries, including India.

Only a commitment to the SCO charter could fully realise the benefits of cooperation and integration that it envisaged, Jaishankar said.

The minister also sought comprehensive reforms in the UN Security Council, both in the permanent and non-permanent categories and asked the SCO to take a lead in advocating such a change.

Ahead of the SCO deliberations at the Jinnah Convention Centre, PM Sharif shook hands with Jaishankar and warmly received him for the second time in the last two days. Sharif and Jaishankar briefly spoke at a dinner reception last night.