China defends BRI but confident about India

China defends BRI but confident about IndiaNEW DELHI: China has said it was “quite normal” for it to push ahead with the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a sticking point in Beijing’s ties with India, but maintained that the two “major powers” could find a way to cooperate, especially after the Wuhan summit.

Addressing a seminar on ‘Wuhan Summit: Sino-India Relations and its Way Forward’, Luo said the BRI would benefit all countries, including India, in the age of globalisation.

“We seek common development through connectivity,” Luo said as some Indian lawmakers, scholars and journalists raised the issue of the BRI during the seminar addressed by China’s envoy on the outcomes of the April 27-28 informal summit between Chinese President Xi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said it was “quite normal” for China to push for the BRI among countries in the region, while describing India as a “major power” as well as an emerging market.

Luo also said that China wanted to share the fruits of its economic development with other countries and those like the US and the UK have benefitted from China’s growth.

Another highlight of the informal summit, a “very special event” in Chinese diplomacy, Lu said, was the decision of President Xi and Prime Minister Modi to undertake a joint economic project in war-torn Afghanistan.

Referring to the unresolved boundary issue, the Chinese ambassador said it was a matter leftover from history and it cannot be resolved overnight.

During the Wuhan summit, Luo said, both sides have agreed to properly manage and control their differences. PTI