BEIJING: India on Sunday skipped the opening ceremony of China’s Belt and Road Forum following sovereignty concerns over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
No Indian delegation was seen at the opening ceremony addressed by Chinese President, Xi Jinping.
Indian diplomats pointed to the statement issued by MEA spokesperson Gopal Bagley upon inquiry on Saturday night. “No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.
Media was not permitted in the ceremony.
Few Indian scholars took part in the meeting and said that no Indian delegation was spotted.
The high-profile meeting was attended by 29 heads of state and governments including Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif and his Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickrmasinghe, besides official delegations from other South Asian countries.
Leaders and officials from various countries including US, Japan, Russia UK, Germany and France attended the meeting.
India had said in a strongly-worded statement issued on Saturday night that the connectivity initiative must be pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“Guided by our principled position in the matter, we have been urging China to engage in a meaningful dialogue on its connectivity initiative, ‘One Belt, One Road’ which was later renamed as ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ We are awaiting a positive response from the Chinese side,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay had said in a statement.
