NEW DELHI – India has refused to back the Chinese President Xi Jinping’s landmark infrastructure scheme to connect the region, One Belt and One Road project, ahead of a crucial visit this week by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The India’s stance against the project, which aims at building infrastructure to connect China to the rest of Asia and beyond, emerged during foreign ministers’ meeting under the umbrella of Shanghai Corporation Organisation (SCO).
According to reports, Delhi has not extended the support for the initiative as one of the key projects, the $57 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), passes through the Azad Kashmir.
It is yet to be seen whether Xi Jinping will be able to win the support of Modi for the Belt and Road during his informal meeting on this Friday and Sunday.
But, Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj did not express support for the project in a statement issued after she attended the meeting in Beijing.
The communiqué stated that foreign ministers from Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan “reaffirmed support for the Belt and Road proposal” without mentioning name of India.
Pakistan and India attended this high-level meeting of foreign ministers under the umbrella of SCO for the first time since becoming its member last year.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/pakistan-becomes-full-member-of-shanghai-cooperation-organisation/
The official statement; however, said that the foreign ministers stood united on various issues including Iran nuclear deal and action against growing extremism.
Modi’s visit is seen as an effort to mend ties with Beijing after a year of disagreements over multiple issues from the Doklam standoff to exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
Prior Indian prime minister’s visit, China has reassured Pakistan that relations between the two countries would be as firm as ever, signalling that the meeting of Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not dent the ties.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/pakistan/china-reassures-pakistan-of-firm-relations-prior-to-modis-beijing-tour/
