Thread by @DrSJaishankar

.@RahulGandhi hs questions on Foreign Policy. Here are some answers:

•Our major partn’ships are strongr & internat’l standng higher.Witness regular summits&informal meetngs wth #US #Russia #Europe & #Japan.India engages #China on more equal terms politically.

Ask the analysts.

https://twitter.com/rahulgandhi/status/1284002386806095872

•We speak our mind more openly now. On #CPEC, on #BRI, on South China Sea, on UN-sanctioned terrorists, etc.

Ask the media.

• And address the #border infrastructure imbalance legacy. Compare 2014-20 with 2008-14. Budget up by 280%, road building by 32%, bridges by 99% and tunnels by 6 times.

Ask our Jawans.

And some facts on our #neighbourhood:

•The Hambantota Port agreement between #SriLanka and China was concluded in 2008.

Ask those who dealt with it.

•Difficult ties with #Maldives, after India watched President Nasheed being toppled in 2012, now stand transformed.

Ask our businesses.

•A settled land boundary (2015) with #Bangladesh; opens path to more development and transit. And terrorists no longer find safe haven there.

Ask our security.

•#Nepal after 17 years is getting Prime Ministerial visits. And a swathe of developmental projects: power, fuel, housing, hospital, roads, etc.

Ask their citizens.

•#Bhutan finds a stronger security and development partner. And unlike 2013, they don’t worry about their cooking gas.

Ask their households.

•#Afghanistan sees completed projects (Salma Dam, Parliament), expanded training and serious connectivity.

Ask the Afghan street.

•And #Pakistan (that you skipped) surely notes the difference between Balakot & Uri on the one hand, and Sharm-el-Sheikh, Havana & 26/11 on the other.

Ask yourself.