Opinion | China and India look to cooperate despite belt and road disagreements

New Delhi’s absence at the Belt and Road Forum would not have any negative impact on Sino-India ties as the two countries have moved to stabilise their relationship

Although India and China do not see eye to eye, the current post-Wuhan summit approach appears to be one driven by pragmatism

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The three-day Belt and Road Forum starts on Thursday in Beijing. Photo: AP

Published: 1:00pm, 25 Apr 2019Updated: 7:38pm, 25 Apr 2019

As leaders from 37 countries and representatives from close to 150 nations gather in Beijing this week for the second Belt and Road Forum, India will be one prominent absentee. As was the case with the inaugural event two years ago, New Delhi will once again not be represented at any level at the event, underlining its official opposition to the Belt and Road Initiative.

New Delhi’s decision to boycott the forum in 2017 was expected to leave India isolated and plunge an already complex relationship with China into outright hostility, considering the importance of the event to President Xi Jinping. However, two years later, contrary to those expectations, India and China have moved to stabilise their relationship as well as better manage their differences.

This was evident in the comments of State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the eve of the forum. Rather than emphasise the differences between the two countries, he announced they were already working on holding a second “informal summit”.

It was the first summit, in Wuhan in April 2018, that helped pave the way for both countries to recalibrate their relations after a difficult phase. Less than two months after the boycott of Beijing’s grand infrastructure programme, the two countries grappled with a 72-day stand-off near the Doklam plateau that borders India, China and Bhutan.

Managing the border peacefully was one important consensus reached in Wuhan. Another agreement that received less attention was the attempt to manage – if not resolve – their differences over Beijing’s vast infrastructure projects.

A greater sense of pragmatism on both sides is one lasting outcome from Wuhan: Beijing is aware its decision to include the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which passes through Pakistan-administered Kashmir, left India with little choice but to stay away from the initiative.

Endorsing the belt and road strategy would have had also had serious ramifications for India in the future regarding its own territorial claims vis-à-vis Pakistan. Vikram Misri, the Indian ambassador to Beijing, explained to Chinese state media India’s concerns, saying connectivity initiatives must “follow principles of openness, transparency and financial sustainability” and “pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty, equality and territorial integrity of nations”.

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