‘India must live with China-Pak corridor’
BEIJING: China will not give up building the economic corridor with Pakistan through a disputed area in Kashmir simply because India has problems with it, state
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BEIJING: China will not give up building the economic corridor with Pakistan through a disputed area in Kashmir simply because India has problems with it, state media said on Tuesday, indicating that New Delhi has no option but to keep an open mind towards the project.
The state media opinion piece indicated that China, due to its economic prowess and presence in the region, could play a role in resolving the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) passes through PoK and India has repeatedly raised objections about the $46 billion project. But the nationalist tabloid Global Times said in an opinion piece on Tuesday that it is “regrettable” to see CPEC becoming another “unharmonious” factor in Sino-India ties,
But China will continue with the project, it said, adding: “China is unlikely to give up on the idea of CPEC because of India’s protest.”
“Given that China has developed close economic ties with both India and Pakistan in recent years, Beijing is unlikely to be interested in taking a side between the two countries.”
The opinion piece did not mention that China and Pakistan are “all-weather” allies Beijing and Islamabad enjoy more-than cosy ties. Last month, the two countries began joint patrolling of the PoK border, which China considers its border with Pakistan.
The article advised India to stop protesting against the CPEC and fall in line. “The dispute over Kashmir between India and Pakistan makes the two countries habitually vigilant against any possibility of large-scale foreign investment flowing into the region, but it is the Kashmir conflict itself, rather than any alleged political intent behind the foreign investment, that creates tension in the region,” the GT piece said.