Beijing: India will give China's highly touted One Belt One Road Summit, slated to start this Sunday, a miss in the light of sovereignty concerns related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). A flagship programme that solidifies China's all-weather ally, Pakistan, CPEC is expected to remain dominant in the two-day meet.
Although the Indian leader is not here, India will have a representative," Wang had told journalists here on April 17 without specifying who would be representing India.
Playing down India’s absence at the meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told the media on Friday that “Indian scholars” would be attending the meeting.
Japan, at the receiving end of strong criticism from China in the last few years, particularly over the disputed islands in the East China Sea, has also agreed to send a high-level political delegation that includes a vice-minister.
The May 14-15 summit, which is expected to strengthen Xi’s power base as he gets set to begin his second five-year tenure later this year, will be attended by 29 heads of state and government, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Considering CPECs importance in the plan — it is the only project at present with prospects of delivering early results — Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to take centrestage to highlight its significance as a game changer for his country.
He is leading perhaps the largest delegation — four chief ministers and five federal ministers.
China-Pakistan Friendship Association President Sha Zukang has told the official media that China has already committed $46 billion Chinese investments for various energy and infrastructure related projects in Pakistan.
Sri Lanka has over $8 billion Chinese investments.
China, too, protested India’s decision to permit the Dalai Lama last month to visit Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as South Tibet.
In the last few days, China has tried to assuage India’s feelings by asserting that the commercial corridor will not have any impact on its stand that the Kashmir issue should be settled by India and Pakistan through dialogue.
About B & R, Indian officials maintain that New Delhi has objections related only to the CPEC traversing through Gilgit and Baltistan of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) though the project is of strategic concern.
India’s worries over a 3,000-km long project connecting Pakistan's deep-water port Gwadar and Chinas Xinjiang stem from the fact Gwadar, which was taken over by the Chinese, will become a future naval base.
The Gwadar port opposite the Mumbai's port housing the Indian Navy’s western naval command provides a berth for China in the Arabian Sea and to the Indian Ocean.
China has already announced plans to station its marines there as well in Djibouti in Horn of Africa in Indian Ocean.
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