Defence
At SCO Meet, India Calls Out China And Pakistan 'Not Once But Twice' For Violating Sovereignty Through Connectivity Projects
EAM S Jaishankar
India's External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, revealed at a press conference in Goa following the SCO meeting earlier today (5 May) that India had twice called out China and Pakistan at the summit for violating India's sovereignty through their connectivity projects.
The statement was made in response to a question on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which runs through Indian territory currently under Pakistan's illegal occupation.
The CPEC is a flagship project of China's now-failing Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which seeks to connect China's Xinjiang province with Pakistan's Gwadar port, passing through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
India has consistently opposed the Belt and Road Initiative and CPEC, as these projects violate India's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
During the SCO meeting, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari attempted to promote China's narrative on the CPEC.
Bilawal stated that "the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor can similarly be a force multiplier for regional connectivity. CPEC does not only connect Pakistan to its neighbor China. CPEC offers all countries invested in the commonality of the future of this region to take the journey further and connect the dots towards full regional economic integration.”
Speaking at a press conference after the SCO Foreign Ministers' meeting, Jaishankar said, "On the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, I think it was made very clear, not once but twice in the SCO meeting, that connectivity is good for progress, but connectivity cannot violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations."
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