By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS
Davos (Switzerland) : Declaring it important for global economic growth to be sustained, former British prime minister Tony Blair said Wednesday the world would have to build the “right economic and political relations” with India and China over the long term.
Asked about the role of India and China in the current global economic crisis, Blair told a news conference at the World Economic Forum (WEF) that it was “hard to assess” in the short term about what the difference is in terms of economic growth in the US on the one hand and that in India and China on the other.
“But over the longer term it is really important to have the right economic and political relations with India and China, because the centre of gravity in the world is gradually shifting.”
However, he warned of pressures upon both the West and on India and China to erect protectionist barriers in the current climate of economic uncertainty – the former in areas of trade and agriculture and the latter two in climate change.
“With the greater insecurity and challenge, people become timid and lacking in political leadership,” he told the opening press conference at the Davos forum in response to a question by IANS.
“There will be pressure to take the short term point of view. But the answer is to open up and collaborate even further.”