CHINA Will Not Push India To Join Bolt & Road Initiative

AS India has repeatedly made it clear that she will never ever be party to China’s multi-billion Dollar Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing has announced that it will not push India to accept it.  The BRI initiative launched by President Xi Jinping in 2013 has become a major stumbling block affecting bilateral relations between the two fast growing economic powers. The BRI includes construction China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which India opposes for crisscrossing Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. India’s view over the ages is this part of the territory has been grabbed by Pakistan illegally. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou said  on Saturday “we feel that there is no fundamental difference between China and India on the issue of supporting inter-connectivity. The Indian side does not exclude this cooperation. It is also continuing to advance on interconnection. India is also a founding member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). It is the second largest shareholder of our region,” Kong said. Asked by reporters whether India accepted the expression Belt and Road, I think it is not important and China will not be too hard on it,” he said. India had boycotted last year’s Belt and Road Forum organised by China. The BRI is aimed at promoting network of roads, ports and rail networks all over the world to spread China’s influence. Kong said both China and India seek a fair settlement of their border dispute. The two countries will also enhance military and security communication mechanisms. Leaders of the two countries believe that China and India are friends and development of China-India relations is trend of the times, he said. Kong ,who was replying to questions on just concluded summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping said the two countries have agreed to sort out the existing mechanisms between the two countries to make communication between the two countries more effective, start bilateral negotiations as soon as possible, further expand bilateral trade, promote cultural cooperation and exchanges between the two countries as a whole, seeking fair and reasonable solution of border issues, he added. Asked about Tibet, Kong said “the position of the Indian government is that Tibet is an inalienable part of China. This has not changed. In the process of promoting mutual political development, it is also an important political consensus reached by both sides.”He said there was no disagreement between the two leaders at the meeting.   “The two sides can handle these issues on the consensus reached,” he said. China and India are both major global powers in this region. In the process of contact between the leaders of the two countries, it is inevitable to talk about the relationship between the two countries, and it is also a question that will inevitably be touched upon, Kong said.Terming the informal meeting between Xi and Modi “a success and a milestone”, Kong said, this meeting was not intended to solve specific problems, but the main aim was to strengthen communication exchanges, provide strategic guidance to the relations, and increase mutual trust between the leaders. Kong, who was part of interactions between Xi and Modi, said that in the past two days, the two leaders had six meetings, conversations, walks, one-on-one exchanges, dinners, and luncheons in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The minister said that Xi emphasised that the problems between China and India were “temporary” but the cooperation would be “everlasting”.”Before these issues and differences are resolved, the two sides must… Avoid creating new ones, and promote mutual exchanges and cooperation to resolve contradictions and differences,” Kong said. He said Prime Minister Modi fully agreed to that the two sides should resolve their difference in a proper way.(Image taken from PIB with inputs from Times Now & other Channels)