‘Not middle power, but power in the middle’: EAM S Jaishankar on India's global position

The external affairs minister also spoke about how “choke points” have taken over the world, even in areas such as finance and sanctions.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar said at an event on Wednesday that calling India a “middle power” would be “limiting itself” by that definition.

S Jaishankar spoke at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum being held in Delhi on Tuesday, October 13. (Bloomberg)

During a panel discussion at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum, Jaishankar was asked why India does not like to be described as a “middle power”, to which he said that more than that, India is the “power in the middle”.

He also quoted Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his definition of a “middle power” as “the countries who have the power to empower” before adding that it would be not be a “comfortable” description for India.

“More than a middle power, in a way, we are powers in the middle. What would really define a middle power? To use the Prime Minister's words, the countries who have the power to empower... Would India be a middle power? It's not a comfortable description,” Jaishankar said.

Jaishankar also said that the "middle powers would now each apply their own mind, stake out their own interests, figure out their own policies, and then reach arrangements with each other."

‘World of choke points’

The external affairs minister also spoke about how “choke points” have taken over the world, even in areas such as finance and sanctions.

“... It's not just a world of middle powers. It is also today a world of choke points. The tendency to weaponize, we tend to think of rare earths as an example. But the fact is even finance and sanctions is a choke point…” he said.

He then spoke about how things are moving towards a point where competition would be about who brings what to the table and that there should not be a “pessimistic” view about this.

"We are moving to a world where the competition is going to be to some degree who has what to bring to the table and then deals among them saying, 'You do this, I do this, let's develop this together, let's trade this for each other'... The table will exist. People will come to that in different ways, with different things to bring to the table. The behavior around the table will change. Who will talk how loudly and who will sit next to whom will also change. We should not have a pessimistic view about this process of change. This process of change was happening. It's just taken turns which we may not have anticipated," Jaishankar said.