India skips China meet over issue of sovereignty
Owing to sovereignty and ecological concerns, India on Saturday decided to skip the two-day Chinese mega show Belt and Road Forum (BRF) that gets under way in Beijing today.
Stating its position emphatically on the ‘China-Pakistan Economic Corridor’ (CPEC), projected as the flagship project of the multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), India said, “No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity….Connectivity projects must be pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The official word came from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), after carefully vetting the formal invitation by China to participate in six separate forums being organised as part of the Belt and Road Forum.
The 3,000 kilometre long CPEC traverses through the Gilgit and Baltistan regions of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Besides, India also has strategic concerns as the CPEC connects China’s Xinjiang to Pakistan’s deep-water port in Gwadar, which is being exclusively built by the Chinese to serve as its future naval base.
Taking a hard stand, India also questioned the Chinese connectivity initiative on the universally recognised parameters of international norms, good governance, rule of law, openness, transparency and equality.
“Connectivity initiatives must follow principles of financial responsibility to …read more
