Chinese make inroads in India’s neighbourhood
India and China are competitors in Asia. India is the only country in the region to have halted the Chinese military in its tracks.
India and China are competitors in Asia. India is the only country in the region to have halted the Chinese military in its tracks.
Prime Minister Modi signalled India’s willingness to engage with China when during an interview with Newsweek in April this year he mentioned that ‘stable and peaceful relations between India and China are important for not just our two countries but the entire region and world.
The recent Parliamentary elections in the Maldives have sent ripples across the Indian Ocean, signalling a potential recalibration of diplomatic ties in the region.
Repaying Chinese loans is not easy because unlike other official lenders such as the World Bank that provide finance at concessional, below-market interest rates, and longer tenures, China tends to lend at market terms, at interest rates close to those prevailing in private capital markets. Additionally, the Chinese insist on collateral, meaning that debt repayments are secured by assets or future revenues.
India has been opposing China's BRI as its key project -- China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) -- passes through the Indian territory of Jammu and Kashmir under the illegal occupation of Pakistan.
In a first meeting involving the four countries, the Chinese Foreign Minister proposed the four-point action plan including consolidating the consensus on unity and fight against the pandemic, avoiding politicisation and stigmatisation of the coronavirus and firmly support the World Health Organization (WHO) in playing its due role to jointly building global health community.
The daily said China has always supported international mediation because the peace and stability of South Asia was of great importance.
For the success of our Act East Policy the key happens to be Myanmar having a common border with Arunachal, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.
Asked if China had asked India to participate in the forum to be held this month, the source did not give a straight reply but stated that Beijing had been requesting New Delhi to reconsider its decision.
The BRI is still in its early stages – and much remains to be understood about the impact it will have on the urban landscape.
