Unlike China, India doesn’t arm-twist countries: VK Singh

New Delhi, January 17

Any country that seeks aid would prefer to engage with India rather than China because they know New Delhi will not get into any “arm-twisting”, Union Minister General VK Singh (retd) said today.

Singh, a former chief of the Indian Army, said the countries seeking aid from China were aware that some amount of “arm-twisting” would take place.

“Today if you see China, in large parts of the world it is there because its economy is supporting it...Again it is an interesting issue (that) all countries which seek or take aid, (they) view India and China differently. They would much rather engage with us, because we do not arm-twist them,” he said.

The Minister of State for External Affairs said the countries knew that if they sought assistance from China, “arm-twisting would take place... whether it was in terms of taking concessions from them or asking for certain favours”.

Speaking at a panel discussion here on “Emerging Dynamics of Modi government’s Foreign Policy”, Singh also rejected suggestions that the Prime Minister’s Office and National Security Adviser took decisions regarding foreign policy vis-à-vis Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“(That) perception is not correct,” he said, adding that the policy decisions were taken depending on the pros and cons involved. He dismissed perception that the External Affairs Ministry was kept out of decisions on Pakistan and Afghanistan. — PTI