India denies support to China’s Belt and Road project at meet

NEW DELHI: India on Monday didn’t join other members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in backing China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which New Delhi has consistently opposed as a key part of it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

BRI or the “One Belt, One Road” initiative, President Xi Jinping’s flagship programme for trade and connectivity, was backed by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in a joint communiqué issued at the end of the SCO council of heads of government meeting hosted by India. The communiqué said the other countries, while “reaffirming their support for China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ (OBOR) Initiative (BRI), note the ongoing work on joint implementation of this project, including efforts to bridge construction [between] The Eurasian Economic Union and OBOR”.

India has repeatedly said it will not join BRI because it does not offer a level playing ground to the country’s businesses. It has also opposed BRI because a key component – the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) – passes through PoK.

New Delhi’s trade concerns related to Beijing were a key factor behind India’s decision not to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the trade deal signed by the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Australia, China, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand.

Former ambassador Vishnu Prakash noted the SCO meeting was held at a time when India is de-coupling from China and it was “no longer business as usual”.