India has once again refused to back China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has stated that any connectivity must respect the territorial integrity of nations and international law.
Speaking at a virtual meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government, Jaishankar noted that improving connectivity in the SCO region should be based on the centrality of the interests of Central Asian states.
While promoting the Chabahar port and the North-South International Transport Corridor as “enablers”, Jaishankar stated that “connectivity projects must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states and respect international law”.
This was a reference to China’s connectivity initiative, which has faced criticism from India and the West for its strategically located infrastructure projects that have also reportedly increased the financial debt burden of developing nations. .
The joint statement issued after the meeting expressed “support” for China’s BRI and noted “the joint implementation of the project, including efforts to link the construction of the Eurasian Economic Union and the BRI.”
Support for the BRI was endorsed, by name, by all SCO member states except India.
Represented India at the meeting of SCO Council of Heads of Government which has just concluded.
-Underlined that we need better connectivity in the SCO region built on centrality of interests of Central Asian states. pic.twitter.com/9EjQrekpaX
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) November 1, 2022
In September, Chinese President Xi Jinping chose Central Asia as his first trip abroad since January 2020, traveling to Kazakhstan and then to Uzbekistan for the SCO summit. It was a powerful demonstration of China’s growing interest in the region, into which it has made deep inroads through its connectivity projects. Therefore, the support of the Central Asian countries for the BRI is not surprising.
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India has refused to validate the BRI in the joint statements issued by the SCO since joining the regional organization as a full member in 2018. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the SCO summit in Samarkand this year, where India had again refused to endorse the BRI in the joint statement.
This was a reference to China’s connectivity initiative, which has faced criticism from India and the West for its infrastructure projects.
New Delhi had done a detailed statement about his objections to China’s BRI in 2017, when he snubbed an invitation to participate in the summit to celebrate the connectivity initiative in Beijing. India had stated that any connectivity initiative “must follow the principles of financial responsibility to avoid projects that create an unsustainable debt burden for communities.”
India’s objection on grounds of territorial integrity stems from opposition to the BRI’s “China-Pakistan Economic Corridor” which runs through Pakistani-occupied Kashmir and Ladakh (ie Gilgit-Baltistan).
Article republished from The Wire as part of an agreement between both parties to share content. Link to original article:https://thewire.in/south-asia/why-the-attack-on-chinese-teachers-in-pakistan-still-worries-authorities
