KEY POINTS
- Arindam Bagchi, India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesperson, made the remarks at a regular media briefing Thursday
- The third edition of the China-hosted Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation concluded Wednesday
- India refused to attend the first BRI forum that took place in 2017 and the second one in 2019
India, as it has done on different occasions in the past, expressed its disapproval of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s signature Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and said the massive infrastructure project does not respect New Delhi’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Arindam Bagchi, India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesperson, made the remarks at a regular media briefing Thursday after being asked about the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation that took place this week.
The Beijing-hosted global gathering concluded Wednesday and saw the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Kenyan President William Ruto, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Argentinan President Alberto Fernandez, among others.
India boycotted the first BRI forum in 2017 and the second one in 2019, maintaining that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) under BRI, was overriding New Delhi’s sovereignty concerns.
This year, Bagchi said he isn’t sure if India was extended an invitation to begin with.
“I don’t think we received an invitation this year,” he said Thursday in response to a question.
India’s position on BRI, especially its “lack of respect for our sovereignty and territorial integrity are well known and consistent,” he added.
During his response, Bagchi also referred to a statement issued by New Delhi in May 2017 after India received a formal invitation from China to attend the first BRI/OBOR (One Belt, One Road) forum.
“Regarding the so-called ‘China-Pakistan Economic Corridor,’ which is being projected as the flagship project of the BRI/OBOR, the international community is well aware of India’s position. No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the 2017 statement said.
This week’s BRI forum was not only the first one held in four years but also ushered the BRI project, which was launched in 2013, into its second decade. It was attended by 23 heads of state or government alongside over a hundred delegations.
The previous two BRI forums had larger numbers of top leaders in attendance. The 2017 Belt and Road Forum hosted 30 heads of state or government, including China’s Xi, while the 2019 edition saw 37 top leaders in attendance.
