In his statements at the SCO summit, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar made no mention of any specific nations, but India has long opposed China’s BRI project since a significant portion of it—the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor—passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
In an apparent jab at China, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar said on Tuesday, that connectivity projects in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) region should be centred on the interests of Central Asian governments and respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
In order to help shape the SCO Council of Heads of Government’s trade and economic agenda, Jaishankar spoke on behalf of India at the virtual gathering.
Since, China now holds the presidency of the Council of Heads of Government, Premier Li Keqiang of China hosted the gathering.In a joint statement released following the conference, India was the only SCO member state to not reiterate support for China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Jaishankar stressed the need for “greater connectivity in the SCO region built on primacy of interests of Central Asian republics” in a series of tweets, according to him.
“Connectivity projects shall respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Member States as well as international law,” he added.Despite the fact that Jaishankar avoided naming any nations in his remarks, India has long been a critic of the BRI.
The reason is because a significant portion of it, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), traverses Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Indian officials have claimed that Chinese connectivity projects do not provide a level playing field for non-Chinese enterprises, even though India was one of the few nations to opt out of the BRI.
In the joint statement, it stated that Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, and Kyrgyzstan had backed the BRI and were “working to cooperatively implement this initiative,” including attempts to connect the BRI and the Eurasian Economic Union.
Connective Catalysts
Jaishankar claimed that increased connectivity will unleash the SCO region’s economic potential and that the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and Iran’s Chabahar port “may become catalysts” in this regard.
“Our entire trade with SCO Members is currently only $141 billion, but this figure has enormous growth potential.The only way to advance is through fair market access, he added, repeating India’s commitment to advancing multilateral cooperation in areas like trade, climate change, and food and energy security.
There are plans to link the strategic port’s terminal, created by India, with INSTC. Following the outbreak of the Ukraine war, the port was crucial in the transshipment of products from Russia to India.
Jaishankar also discussed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), which “envisions replacing the present ‘use and dispose’ economy by a circular economy.”
He emphasised that India plans to promote increased cooperation with SCO member nations on addressing the food problem in 2024, the UN International Year of Millets.He was grateful for the condolences given by many nations following the deaths caused by the Morbi bridge disaster, in Gujarat.
Regarding India taking up the SCO chairmanship after the summit held in Uzbekistan, in September, Jaishankar remarked, “Look forward to India’s ongoing chairship of the SCO.”
According to the joint communique, the SCO members supported the intensification of cooperation in the digital economy and digital technologies to achieve inclusive economic growth.
They also pointed out the importance of e-commerce for economic growth and job growth in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak.India assumed the rotational presidency of the SCO for the first time, at this gathering.
Jaishankar had previously represented the nation at the Council of Heads of Government meeting held in Kazakhstan, in November, the previous year. The meeting approves the SCO’s yearly budget and focuses on the organization’s trade and economic objectives.
Eight SCO member countries, including India, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as observer nations like Iran, participated in the summit.
In addition to Turkmenistan, other invited attendees included the SCO secretary general and the executive director of the SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS).
