Summary
- India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar disagrees with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s idea of forming an ‘Asian NATO’ to deter China.
- India does not have a history of being a treaty ally and has different strategic architecture in mind compared to Japan.
- Jaishankar emphasizes that India is pursuing a policy of multi-alignment, which differs from the non-alignment doctrine of the past.
- The shift towards multi-alignment allows India to make choices, engage in issue-based alliances like the Quad, and take more risks for desired outcomes.