Beijing’s mind game equivalent to sledging in cricket: Jaishankar

“I think arriving at equilibrium, then maintaining those and refreshing those is going to be one of the biggest challenges for both countries. It is not going to be easy,” he said.

Beijing, S. Jaishankar, India China bilateral ties, India China relations, India China ties, Indian express news, current affairs

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi. PTI

As India and China are locked in a border standoff for almost four years now, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said Friday that Beijing’s “mind game” is equivalent to “sledging in cricket”.

Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue, Jaishankar said, “Competitions have many forms. But one of them is the mind games which accompany any competitive activities. You know all these indexes you get, the ratings — how democratic you are, how good your press is, how good your civil rights. This is like the equivalent of sledging in cricket,” he said.

“It’s meant to psyche you (up) before you get ready for doing anything,” he said.

Cautioning against Beijing’s “mind game” to restrict India-China issues under the bilateral framework, Jaishankar said India should be confident enough to “leverage” the international system to create the “best possible outcome”. “Here is the immediate issue which is: From the late 1980s, we had an understanding on the border precisely because it suited both of us. Now, there was a departure after almost 30 years. A departure on their side in terms of how they behaved on the border. And there was a pushback from our side,” he said.

“I think arriving at equilibrium, then maintaining those and refreshing those is going to be one of the biggest challenges for both countries. It is not going to be easy,” he said.

“The other 190-odd countries do not exist in our relationship. That will be the mind game which will be played. I do not think we should play it,” he said.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram