Rahul Gandhi asserts India won’t be pushed by China

Rahul Gandhi, a prominent leader of the Congress party, emphasised that India would not allow itself to be intimidated by China, highlighting that the relationship between the two neighbouring countries would be challenging rather than easy.
During his ongoing US tour, Gandhi addressed Indian students at Stanford University in California on Wednesday night. When asked about his perspective on the future of India-China relations in the next 5-10 years, he acknowledged the difficulty of the current situation, referring to China’s occupation of Indian territory.
“The situation is tough right now. They have occupied some of our territory. It’s rough. It’s not an easy relationship,” stated Gandhi. He firmly asserted that India cannot be coerced or pushed around by any external force.
The bilateral relationship between India and China has been strained due to a prolonged border standoff in eastern Ladakh, which has lasted for three years. The tension escalated following a deadly clash in the Galwan Valley of eastern Ladakh in June 2020. India has maintained that the relationship cannot be normalised without peace in the border region. During the interaction at Stanford University, Gandhi expressed support for India’s policy of maintaining its relationship with Russia amidst the ongoing Ukrainian war, despite pressure from Western nations.
“We have a relationship with Russia, and we have certain dependencies on Russia. So, I would have a similar stance as the Government of India,” Gandhi affirmed, endorsing India’s neutral position on Russia.
He emphasised that India must prioritise its own interests and is a significant enough country to engage with multiple nations, rather than being solely dependent on any one country.
“We will always have these types of relationships. We will have better relationships with some people, evolving relationships with other people. So that balance is there,” explained the former Congress president.
Gandhi also advocated for a strong partnership between India and the United States, highlighting the importance of collaboration in manufacturing and emerging fields such as data and artificial intelligence. He emphasised that focusing solely on security and defence aspects would not suffice for the bilateral relationship between the two nations.