India’s Act East Policy Can Meet Obor: Chinese Envoy

Source : www.thehindu.com Date : 2018-11-17

OPINION Relevant for: International Relations

Topic: India – China

Luo Zhaohui 

India’s Act East policy and China’s Belt and Road Initiative (One Belt One Road or OBOR) are a “natural” area of cooperation between the two countries, said China’s Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui on Thursday, making another pitch for India to join China’s mega-infrastructure corridor, which New Delhi has rejected thus far.

However, instead of the more contentious part of the Belt and Road Initiative, the ChinaPakistan-Economic-Corridor that he has spoken of in the past, Mr. Luo suggested that the cooperation could come through the “China-India-Myanmar” BCIM corridor to India’s North-East.

In a written message for the Youth event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he hoped it would “provide a platform for the youth of both nations to build a ‘Great Wall of Trust and Cooperation’ between the two countries.”

Finding synergy

“Act East and OBOR are quite natural…. And [we must see] how to synergise these two strategies together between the two countries and between the two leaders and benefit from cooperation and development. That is the right direction… and I am quite optimistic,” Mr. Luo said, speaking to delegates at a “China-India Youth Dialogue” seminar.