India’s Role is Imperative in Diversification of Global Supply Chains & Berlin’s Strategy: German Envoy

09/10/2020

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Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury | The Economic Times

New Delhi: The current global challenges across the spectrum cannot be solved without India and therefore Delhi plays a critical role in Germany’s newly released Indo-Pacific strategy that aims at diversifying supply chains without being dependent on just one source, German Ambassador to India Walter Lindner told ET.

“Germany has a policy for Africa and policy for Latin America. However, we did not have any policy for Indo-Pacific region as a whole. This region houses world’s 33 mega cities, a young and dynamic population and sea lanes of communication that are responsible for a significant part of the global trade. It was time that Berlin adopted a strategy for the region,” Lindner told ET in an exclusive interaction days after Berlin released its Indo-Pacific strategy.

This was Lindner’s maiden in person interview since the outbreak of Covid. “The region has three nuclear powers. Any attempts to alter rule of law has implications. Whatever happens in the region impacts Europe and it impacts Germany. Therefore, strengthening the rule of law to ensure free and transparent trade is essential,” the envoy noted in a thin veiled reference to Beijing’s attempts to dominate world order.

“The Covid situation made it clear that supply chains cannot be dominated by anyone. There must be a diversification of supply chains. Germany favours diversification of supply chains and India plays a critical role in that. No global challenges in today’s world can be solved without India’s participation,” noted Lindner, who had in the past served as the Foreign Secretary.

Pointing out that the German Indo-Pacific strategy is not anti-China the envoy, however, was of the opinion that there cannot be hegemon and what is needed is a “multipolar system of equals”. Germany, as Europe’s biggest economy, favours supply chains which are diversified and sustainable, Lindner pointed out.

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