What Ex Diplomat Kishore Mahbubani Said

Here are the 10 takeaways from the former diplomat’s session at NDTV World Summit 2024

1. In light of the India-China patrol agreement finalised on Monday, Mr Mahbubani said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping had regular engagements before the 2020 Galwan clash and following skirmishes along the Line of Actual Control. The recent agreement, he said, signifies India and China adjusting to the new 3M world. The 3Ms include “multicivislisations – where the world is no longer dominated by the West. In fact, the West is losing its sheen. Multipolar- where other powers are also emerging; and multilateral”.
2. Mr Mahbubani said it is time for Britain to give up its permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council and make way for India. He went on to say that India is among the greatest powers, with the fifth largest economy in the world, and on its way to become the third largest economy by the end of the decade. “The UK will probably will drop from the top 10 economies soon. It elected Boris Johnson as prime minister, who is a joker. Liz Truss was a joke too. The UK has lost the capability of playing a role on world stage,” he explained.
3. The world would cheer if India gets a permanent UNSC seat because it would give a perspective that would be understood both by the West and the East, Mr Mahbubani said.
4. Calling BRICS a “sunrise club, Mr Mahbubani said, “Everyone wants to join BRICS. The G7, by contrast, is diminishing in power and influence. India and China’s rise is part of a broader Asian rise. In 2000, Japan’s economy was eight times bigger than ASEAN. By 2030, ASEAN is going to be bigger than Japan.”
5. Mr Mahbubani stressed on the need for stronger figures to head the United Nations. “As the world is shrinking, we become an interdependent global village. Covid, climate change, financial stress, are among the issues we face, which we will survive if there is a strong village council. The UN is weak is not by accident, but by design. Great powers have insisted that the UN remains spineless. Now when the need for the UN is growing, we must persuade these powers to choose strong Secretary Generals, like Kofi Annan. There is no alternative to the UN,” he said.
6. The former Singapore diplomat said India is already at the diplomatic high table. “When Prime Minister Narendra Modi demonstrated he could visit both Russia and Ukraine, he showed India can play a valuable bridging role. India can talk to Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Israel, Arab countries and majorly contribute to solving a problem that is worrying the world a great deal,” he said.
7. If India wants to join the global manufacturing supply chains, integration to some extent with China is required, Mr Mahbubani said. “Many components still come from China. If you want to become a major Apple phone facility, the components come from China,” he said.
8. “The future economic growth is coming from CIA countries – China, India Asean. The total population of these countries is 3.5 billion. in 2000, only 150 million people here had middle class living standards. By 2020, the number rose to 1.5 billion. And by 2030, it will 2.5-3 billion. Never before in human history have you seen an explosion of middle class population of this size and scale. Many in India is still want to look West, but the West is lost – geopolitcally, economically, domestically. Acting east is the future of India,” Mr Mahbubani said.
9. The opportunities for India would be “magnificent” if it integrates with Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). “Economic studies show Indians would add billions to its economy if it integrates with East Asia. Most manufacturing today comes from East Asia with the biggest sources being Japan, South Korea, China and ASEAN. They are the biggest sources for FDI. South East Asia has received more FDI than India, China, Korea, Japan combined. How did South East Asia do that? Because it integrated in global supply chains and RCEP. Manufacturers would love to come to India if the conditions are right,” Mr Mahbubani said.
10. India stepping up trade with the QUAD would be a positive development, Mr Mahbubani said. “There is a perception, which may be right or wrong, that the QUAD was set up to counterbalance China. But Japan, Australia and the US are already integrated with East Asia. Total trade of these three countries with East Asia is much larger than what they do with India. If India steps up trade with QUAD, that will be a positive development,” he added.