CHINA PLEADS TO INDIA FOR JOINING BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE
Colonel Awadhesh kumar, Veteran Special Forces
In the month of May2017 , BRI Summit was organised in Beijing with great fanfare and even touted as the event of Great Importance. It was attended by heads of States of quite a large number of Countries big and small. However India simply ignored the event. Seeing this a few more countries also refused to attended the BRI Summit. The BRI is an ambitious plan to connect Asia, Africa and Europe through an intricate network of roads and waterways and personally backed by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Initially China showed that India’s non participation in the summit was of No consequences to China and in fact would constitute a grave economic and political loss to India. However it was just a “ brave face “ being put up by Beijing. The result of Indian non participation raised so much doubts that not only other fence sitting countries completely disassociate from joining the initiative, even those who had participated decided to take no further investment action. Meanwhile India sprung its own surprise on to China in the form of an alternative Indian—Asian route both towards the East and to the West. The Western route now has even materialized by the operationalization of the Chabahar Port on the Iranian Coast. India transported wheat consignment from its Kanda Port to Afghanistan via Kandla- Chabahar sea route then by Indian built Chabahar – Kabul highway . From Kabul the route then moves onwards to Central Asian Republics. So now Pakistan has been completely bypassed and the much hyped China Pakistan project on the Makaran Coast ( still few years away from completion)has become inconsequential. The Eastern route from Kolkata towards Decca onwards towards South East Asia too will be visible shortly.
Seeing it’s Domino’s castle tumbling down in no time , now China is trying many other ways to rope in India to become part of the BRI. The Chinese approached a common friend the Russians to urge India to join the initiative. Russia then urged China and India to resolve their disagreements over the BRI. Immediately a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson asked India to set aside its objections to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and take advantage of the trillion-dollar
infrastructure initiative . Beijing even went on to claim that there is widespread international support for the entire project.
However in their typical style Hua Chun Ying, the Chinese spokesperson stated that India is quite wavering on the issue of the Belt and Road Initiative…. We remain quite open and inclusive to cooperation involving the BRI. The BRI will bring benefits to more countries along the BRI. We have also said many times that the CPEC corridor is an economic cooperation. It is not targeted at any third country and does not involve territorial disputes.
Well do the Chinese take us to be so dumb. No country can accept a project that infringes on its sovereignty and territorial integrity. New Delhi objects to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor a major part of the BRI as it passes through the Gilgit-Baltistan region that is sovereign territory of India but presently under illegal occupation of Pakistan. Further the Chinese have been protesting “ hoarse” whenever any Official of the Central Govt of India goes on a visit to the Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh. We can start doing the same for every Chinese stepping into Tibet . For India to consider joining the BRI, China should first pay rent to India for use of all land / infrastructure created in the Gilgit-Baltistan Baltistan Area. Even a rent of just one rupee will be good enough to start with.
