India should join One Belt One Road Initiative with China, says country’s scholar

India should leave its bilateral disputes with China aside and join the Beijing-backed One Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a Chinese scholar has said.

“We will keep the door open on India’s participation in the BRI. China has repeatedly extended invitations to India to be part of the BRI,” said Associate Professor Huang Yunsong, Associate Dean, Sichuan University School of International Studies.

“But India is not interested in BRI at this stage,” he told PTI after addressing a BRI symposium in Singapore on Monday.

He pointed out the number of disputes between China and India, but stressed these should not be used against the BRI.

Touted as Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ambitious project, the One Belt One Road initiative focuses on improving connectivity and cooperation among Asian countries, Africa, China and Europe.

The BRI also included the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which India opposed as it goes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

“There are a lot of issues between India-China since 1947, such as the China Pakistan relationship,” he said. Among others issues, there were growing trade imbalance between the two countries, Dokalam border situation, Tibet and Dalai Lama, he pointed out.

“China has an agreement with Pakistan that it will not …read more