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TOKYO — Highlighting China's absence in the two Global South summits hosted by India last year, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar took a swipe at the Asian giant on Friday saying that a lot of countries are not always comfortable with the word "Global South".
Speaking at the Nikkei Forum on the India-Japan partnership in Tokyo, the minister also underlined that the countries of the Global South, numbering around 125, "feel for each other" and believe in India.
"I see a lot of countries... not always comfortable with the word Global South. So that itself is worth thinking about..." S. Jaishankar said as he pointed out that the concerns of these least developed and developing nations were not even on the agenda of the G20.
On being asked about China being part of the Global South, the minister said: "I do not believe China was present during the two Global South summits we hosted".
He noted that during the Covid-19 pandemic, many countries of the Global South felt that they were the last in the line to get the vaccine.
"These were not recognised by the major powers in the world... They even felt at the time when India became G20 President that their concerns were not even on the agenda of the G20 and they have a strong feeling about about this," the minister remarked.
In an attempt to amplify their voices, India did two meetings for them last year as they "wanted to listen to 125 countries" and put before the G20 a set of issues, which he said, were their collective views.
Further, the minister said that Global South is "very popular" in the Asian and African continents and people there know "exactly what is happening, who's speaking up for them, how their issues are getting on the table".
"They don't think it is a coincidence that it was under the Indian presidency that the African Union, which had long been promised a seat in the G20, got a seat. So the Global South believes us," Jaishankar, who is on a three-day visit to Japan to cement bilateral ties, said.
This was EAM Jaishankar's second swipe at China in 24 hours after he said that it is a cause for concern when a country does not observe written agreements with a neighbour.
Speaking at the first Raisina Roundtable in Tokyo on Thursday, the minister said: "...when a country, sort of, does not observe written agreements with a neighbour, then I think you have cause for concern, because it then raises a question mark about the stability of the relationship, and frankly, about intentions".