No question of rethinking India’s stand on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor: Nirmala Sitharaman

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman  |  Photo Credit: BCCL

New Delhi: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Friday that the country doesn’t view its relations with China through the prism of China’s relations with Pakistan. Sitharaman, who was speaking at the ‘Chennai Centre for China Studies’, also ruled out any possibility of India reviewing its stance on the CPEC project, which has been an irritant in India-Chinese ties. “One thing I want to assure here…we do not view our relations with China through the prism of China-Pakistan relations,” she said.

She said India was keenly aware of the economic assistance provided by Beijing to India’s neighbours and the implications that would have for India. Bringing up the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)  issue, she stressed that India would not “entertain any thought” of taking a second look on the issue. “It is an issue of sovereignty, and we shall not entertain any thought (other than our stated position) on that matter,” she said as quoted by the news agency PTI. 

The CPEC aims to shore up infrastructure in Pakistan and boost economic relations between China and Pakistan. The corridor seeks to connect Gwadar, Pakistan to Xinjiang, China, and would go through Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, which India objects to.

“The kind of economic assistance being extended to many of our neighbours are all very clearly impacting the economies there, probably helping to bond a relationship with those countries. As a result, even a strategic presence could be enabled. I see a linkage. This is something which I think all of us, you (Chennai Centre for China Studies) as a think tank, and we as a government, constantly be alert to and understand its ramifications,” Sitharaman was quoted saying by PTI.