India boycotts China's One Belt One Road summit; says project ignores its sovereignty, territorial integrity

In the statement issued hours before the opening of the forum in Beijing, India said the connectivity initiative must be pursued in a manner which respects sovereignty and territorial integrity.

India-China ties — [Representational image]Official website of the Chinese Embassy in India

'India has boycotted the two-day summit that began on Sunday, May 14, in China which aims to boost China's trade links to the rest of the world. India's decision to boycott China's One Belt One Road summit came from an official statement issued late on Saturday, May 13. The statement made it clear that India cannot accept a project which ignores its core concern over sovereignty and territorial integrity.

US decides to participate in China's One Belt, One Road initiative while India remains unsure

In the clear yet bold statement issued hours before the opening of the forum in the Chinese capital, India has said that the connectivity initiative must be pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"Guided by our principled position in the matter, we have been urging China to engage in a meaningful dialogue on its connectivity initiative, 'One Belt, One Road' which was later renamed as 'Belt and Road Initiative'. We are awaiting a positive response from the Chinese side," external affairs ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said in a statement.

India has always shown a strong opposition to China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of China's prestigious 'Belt and the Road Initiative' (BRI). The CPEC passes through Gilgit and Baltistan of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), which is also considered as India's integral part.

Russia not joining CPEC — In Picture: Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif speaks at the inauguration of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor port in Gwadar, Pakistan November 13, 2016.Reuters

Meanwhile, on May 2, the Chinese media had said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will be Beijing's road to Kashmir, thus proving India's fears of China meddling in the Kashmir dispute true.

"Given the massive investment that China has made in countries along the One Belt, One Road, China now has a vested interest in helping resolve regional conflicts including the dispute over Kashmir between India and Pakistan," said an article in Global Times.

Back then, India had not yet named an official delegation to take part in a summit of the "One Belt, One Road" initiative.