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By Geeta Mohan: Amid Pakistan’s objection to India hosting a G20 meeting in Jammu and Kashmir, the British High Commissioner to India has confirmed participation of representatives from the UK at the event of the tourism working group being organised in Srinagar on May 23-24.
The British High Commissioner Alex W Ellis was speaking at an Ananta-Aspen event to discuss the release of ‘Integrated Review Refresh’ (IR23) – an approach to update the British government’s priorities in the areas of security, defence, development and foreign policy. While responding to questions, he spoke on other areas of interest as well, particularly bilateral aspects of ties.
To a question on whether the UK will send representatives to Srinagar for a G20 event he said, “We will be in Kashmir for the Tourism Working Group. We have been attending Working Group meetings all over India during India’s extraordinary G20 presidency. We’re halfway through it,” said High Commissioner Alex W Ellis, the UK envoy to India.
‘NEED TO TACKLE DISINFORMATION AND MISINFORMATION’
Speaking on the issue of extremism, particularly “Khalistan extremism”, he said that there was a need to tackle “disinformation” and “misinformation”. He also said that the violence outside the Indian High Commission in London was unacceptable.
“One of the things that happened a few days after the incidents in the Indian High Commission, which as I say, it was totally not okay; was in parliament question was asked about closing down of TV stations, schools, charities, etc. and the minister gave the facts and said that it’s factually incorrect to say that. So, you have to tackle those narratives that have disinformation and misinformation.”
“Now, we look at extremism not in relation to any one particular group of people. But overall, extremism is a risk in any countryâæ We have a very broad toolkit for how you deal with extremism, which ones can be arrest, criminal prosecution and so forth, but actually is about a lot more than that. It’s also about tackling disinformation and misinformation,” the British High Commission said.
BBC WILL HAVE TO OBEY LAWS IN INDIA: ELLIS
High Commissioner Ellis also spoke about the recent controversy revolving their state news broadcaster the BBC and the raids that have taken place in India over tax evasion, following a two-part documentary that was aired by BBC called ‘The Modi Question’ which documented the rise of Prime Minister Modi and include incidents of Gujarat riots, Delhi riots, CAA protests and more.
While he said that he would not divulge conversations he is having with the Indian authorities on the matter, he added that BBC will have to “obey” the laws in India.
“First of all, the BBC is a globally respected institution and broadcasting material I consume everyday. Secondly, all organizations have to obey the law of India. The BBC is talking to the authorities about that. Certainly, as you know, will never share all of the things which I discuss with the Indian government but good friends can also disagree and that’s okay to disagree sometimes, and I’m making a general point,” he said.
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UK ENVOY TO INDIA APPRECIATES CHINA GROWTH
On the integrated review, large parts of the conversations revolved around the UK’s China strategy. The interaction involved an exchange between the envoy and a senior Chinese diplomat who was sitting in the audience over the former’s statements on China and Hong Kong. The latter put forth Beijing’s stand which is part of China’s methods to ensure their position is also put forth at the same forum.
While appreciating the China growth story, the UK envoy added that the Asian giant in the biggest “state-based threat” to the UK. “China is the biggest state based threat to the UK is economic security. And last week, British Foreign Secretary James cleverly said this government will advance British interest directly with China alongside our allies while defending our national security and values,” he said.
Calling it an “epoch defining challenge”, he added, “China has done absolutely extraordinary things in the last 30 years. It’s probably contributed more to reductions in global poverty than any other country in the world. Just through its own internal actions. So the economic transformation is quite extraordinary. I think. I know in India, you look at that transformation. And India China’s GDP per head was about the same in 1990. No country, no country in recorded history has grown at over I think it’s over 7% per annum for as many years as China did. So that is something extraordinary is going on. At the same time, China presents some very big risks to the security of my country.”
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The Chinese diplomat made his point (which is clearly what he had come to do at the forum) by saying, “Hong Kong is part of China. It is under full sovereignty of the People’s Republic of Chinaâæ The High Commissioner just has said that China is the closest threat to the world and to the British government, is strange since the High Commissioner has just said that China has made a tremendous contribution economically for the worldâæ I do believe that is not just economic contribution to the world, it is also be huge contribution to the world. peace and stabilityâæ”
He wished to continue but was cut short by the chair since he was taking a lot of the space allotted for interaction with he High Commissioner. Alex Ellis however responded by reminding the Chinese diplomat that what happens in Hong Kong does impact the UK since most who have left the city after China’s takeover have landed in the UK.
The British envoy suggested that every nation should “Protect, align and engage” in order to work with China.
“One of the problems of COVID I think, was the closing down of engagementâæ China and India, for that matter are absolutely fundamental to the world’s policy to deal with those problems. So you have to do all three of those things,” he added.
To a question of why was there a reassessment needed of the ‘Integrated Review’, Alex Ellis said that there were various reasons, including a new Prime Minister having taken office, but the primary reason of a rethink was the Russia-Ukraine war.
“The invasion by Russia of Ukraine was definitely a kind of acute challenge to our structures and our system, which we felt we needed to respond to publicly as well as through other ways so that’s why the review was done,” he said.
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