Sushma slams terror, raises concerns over infra projects
India termed terrorism as a challenge to “life, peace and basic human rights” on Tuesday, barely three days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s informal meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Wuhan.
“There are a number of challenges being faced by the world today, the foremost being the threat of global terrorism and the imminent need to build a strong security architecture to combat it. Terrorism is an enemy of basic human rights: of life, peace and prosperity,” external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers’ meet in Beijing.
Swaraj brought up the issue of “connectivity” projects within SCO countries during the course of her address. Although she did not explicitly mention the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), she indicated some concerns that India has over what could be considered as a unilateral connectivity project launched by China. “Connectivity with SCO countries is India’s priority. We want connectivity to pave the way for cooperation and trust between our societies. For this, respect for sovereignty is essential. Inclusivity, transparency and sustainability are imperative,” she said.
India has refused to be a part of the BRI due to sovereignty concerns. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, one of the flagship projects of the initiative, passes through PoK.