"From 1989, we have seen a series of moves at stabilising and improving our bilateral relations. Nevertheless, China's rapid economic growth and the consequential growth of its military power, the complexities of its polity and society make for a combination which would require very careful handling and consideration," Swaraj said at a lecture at the Institute of South Asia Studies.
Swaraj, however, pointed to the need for a robust maritime perspective in India's engagement with Southeast and East Asia saying although a part of the country's foreign policy, it could be "even more deeply embedded". "We cannot disregard our continental compulsions whether in the Northwest, in the North or in the Northeast. Nevertheless, we have to balance these compulsions with a maritime perspective in which our southern peninsula becomes the heart and mind of our foreign policy," she said.
Southeast Asia and Asean could also have a role to play in India's increasing engagement with North Asia, Swaraj said, not only as "a bridge and a fulcrum" between India and the region, but also as a "political and economic association" with strong links to India.
