India refuses to back China for Silk Route projects

Beijing: China has failed to secure India’s backing for its mega silk road projects during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit last week even though his trip constituted a significant step to build mutual trust, a state-run Chinese think tank said. 

“Modi’s first journey to China since he assumed office constitutes a significant step in building the Sino-Indiastrategic mutual trust,” an article written by Liu Zongyi, research fellow of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, said. 

“In the first place, the state heads of the two countries have strengthened mutual trust with practical actions,” it said stating that Modi has been given an “unprecedented welcome and reception in China”. 

“Beijing received some return from New Delhi. Modi revealed at Tsinghua University that Chinese tourists would be able to apply for Indian e-visas, which, however, is not stated in the joint statement,” it said 

But at the same time it said “China has failed to gain support from India on issues concerning its key interests, especially in building the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (MSR).” 

Beijing has rendered enormous endorsement for New Delhi in regional and international cooperation, but acquired less in comparison, it said. 

Officials said the Silk Road initiatives, officially called the Belt and Road projects has figured in Modi’s talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. 

The Silk Road projects included road connectivity between China and Europe through Central Asia, the Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar (BCIM) Corridor, the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the MSR. 

While India is taking part in the BCIM, it has already expressed concerns over the CPEC as it goes through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). 

About the Chinese investments in India, the Global Times article said “tens of billions of investment deals will, of course, facilitate Chinese firms in entering India’s market”. 

“How they will benefit China rests on to which extent India will open its market,” it said. 

“It is a lengthy process for the two countries to configure strategic mutual trust, in which China has been rather active. It is expected that in the future India will take bolder steps in a more positive stance,” it said.