BEIJING – Chinese officials have again offered India to join the multibillions dollars Belt and Road Initiative, Indian media has reported.
Chinese officials have reiterated the expectation that India would join theBelt and Road Initiative (BRI). Speaking to a visiting delegation of 20Asian journalists, officials of the Foreign Affairs Office of Heilongjiangexpressed the desire that India would come on board the BRI.
“India is always most welcome. We hope it will join the Belt and RoadInitiative and take our mutual cooperation further,” said an official.
Clearly, the fact that China keeps harping about India joining the BRIsuggests that the reiterations, by the foreign affairs office of theprovinces, are orchestrated. It is not necessarily because there are twoIndians among the visiting Asian journalists. Although there is a Koreanand a Japanese also in the delegation, there is no repeated mention aboutChina wanting to bring Korea and Japan on board the BRI.
Earlier on August 22, Mrs Chen Wenling Chief Economist of the Center forInternational Economic Exchanges (CCIE), which is the No.1 think tank oneconomic and issues had claimed that India has started showing interest inChina’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative.
The Heilongjiang officials said that every effort is being made toencourage India to participate in the two trade fairs that are heldannually in Harbin.