India will pay if it becomes US ally: China daily
■ State-run media warns against India becoming ‘US outpost’
◗ The daily said if India becomes a ‘pawn’ for the US in countering China, then Beijing would be caught up in a strategic dilemma
Beijing, June 27: Any attempt by India to become a US ally to counter China will not be in its interests and could even lead to “catastrophic results”, a state-run Chinese daily said as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump held their maiden meeting.
“Washington and New Delhi share anxieties about China’s rise. In recent years, to ratchet up geopolitical pressure on China, the Unisted States has cozied up to India,” an article in the Global Times said.
It said, “To assume a role as an outpost country in the US’ strategy to contain China is not in line with India’s interests. It could even lead to catastrophic results.”
The daily said if India regresses from its nonalignment stance and becomes a “pawn” for the US in countering China, it will be caught up in a strategic dilemma.
With an eye on China and the disputes in the South China Sea, Mr Modi and Mr Trump after their meeting in the White House called for freedom of navigation and resolving of territorial and maritime disputes peacefully
in accordance with international law.
Another report said that the construction of the $50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor may be hit in the short run due to India’s objections but if Beijing and Islamabad are firm about their cooperation, they can dispel New Delhi’s doubts. India is protesting against the CPEC as it passes through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
“Some people believe obstruction by India may become a stumbling block to the development of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC),” an article in Global Times said.
The corridor’s construction may be affected in the short term, but from a long-term perspective, China and Pakistan can dispel India’s doubt to the maximum degree if they are firm about their cooperation and actively interact with neighbouring countries, it said.