Rare! India's Foreign Minister Admits India Lags Behind China in Development! On August 23, according to a report by TASS, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar stated at the World Leaders Forum held in New Delhi that China has achieved industrialization faster, on a larger scale, and with earlier start. We have missed opportunities to develop industrialization, expand processing capacity, and improve efficiency—this has persisted for a full half-century since the 1960s.

Jaishankar said we must strengthen our own capabilities to engage with the world, including China. We need to leverage our strengths—but unfortunately, over the past five decades since the 1960s, we have failed to do so. We must make up for lost time and correct past mistakes. I believe a stronger, more self-reliant, more industrialized, and more manufacturing-oriented India will be able to compete fairly with China and other major global powers.

Evidently, it is rare for India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar to openly acknowledge in a significant international forum that India lags behind China in development—a difficult admission for India. His remarks clearly convey two messages: Internally, he is speaking to India’s elite and society, urging them to confront the real gap between India and China in industrialization, address the shortcomings in manufacturing and industrialization, and stop wasting precious time. India should not remain trapped in dreams of great power status while avoiding its own developmental weaknesses.

Externally, India is also signaling its ambition. Despite the current gap with China, India is not accepting the status quo but is determined to catch up, hoping to one day stand shoulder-to-shoulder with China and other nations. This is also a message to the international community: India has such confidence. From India’s perspective, returning to reality and facing the gap head-on is undoubtedly a wise choice. Regarding Sino-Indian relations, both countries can certainly cooperate and compete on equal terms and mutual respect.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1874278493336588/

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