India never harboured expansionist mindset: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi , addressing a special session of the Parliament of Guyana on Thursday, reiterated India’s long-standing stance against expansionism, emphasizing the country's commitment to peaceful cooperation rather than territorial conquest. His remarks come amid growing global concerns about China's expansionist behaviour and territorial disputes with its neighbouring countries and around the world.

Addressing the Guyana Parliament, Prime Minister Modi stated that India has "never moved forward with the expansionist mindset" and has always kept a clear stance against "grabbing others' resources”. He highlighted India’s foreign policy principles of trust, transparency, and respect for other nations' sovereignty. "We have never moved forward with the feeling of expansionism. We have always stayed away from the feeling of occupying resources, grabbing resources," PM Modi said, adding that India’s approach to global issues has been rooted in cooperation rather than conflict.

The prime minister’s comments were a direct reference to the rising geopolitical tensions, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, where territorial disputes involving China have raised alarms. Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized that the world must shift its focus from conflict to cooperation, particularly in areas like space and the seas. "Be it space or sea, these should not be subjects of universal conflict but cooperation," he said, underlining that now is the time to identify and eliminate the root causes of global conflicts.