India refuses to endorse China's BRI

Qingdao: India was the only country on Sunday not to endorse a high-profile Chinese project in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) at the end of the 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Qingdao even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed that New Delhi's priority was connectivity with the neighbourhood and between the SCO countries.

All remaining seven members of the SCO bloc supported the project which is part of President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – an ambitious multi-billion inter-continental connectivity mission. The 17-page joint Qingdao declaration said all other seven member countries had endorsed the project and agreed to work towards implementing it.

India was not expected to endorse the BRI in the Qingdao declaration which was released soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi speech at the plenary session.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is one of the flagship projects of the BRI that goes through PoK. India has stayed away from the BRI — the only SCO country to be opposed to it — saying the CPEC violates its territorial integrity.

Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Modi said India supports connectivity projects that are inclusive, transparent and respect territorial sovereignty.

Speaking at the plenary session of the summit, Modi said India's priority was connectivity with the neighbourhood and between the SCO countries in the region. On the issue of terrorism, the Qingdao declaration said that all member states strongly condemn terrorism in all forms and manifestations.

One of the documents released, Ghanashyam said was "A joint appeal by the SCO heads of member states for the prevention of radicalisation of youth, a programme of cooperation in combating terrorism, separatism and extremism for the years 2019-21".

The declaration said that member States "…strongly condemn terrorism in all forms and manifestations".

In his speech, Modi also spoke about terrorism in the region and mentioned how it had affected Afghanistan, an observer country in the SCO.

"Afghanistan is an unfortunate example of the effect of terrorism," he said and hoped that all would respect the steps towards peace taken by its President Ashraf Ghani in the region.

Modi said India will play its part as part of the SCO-Afghanistan contact group to restore peace in the country.

Promising full cooperation for the summit a year after India joined the bloc, the Prime Minister said, "We should together set a goal for the 25th SCO Summit. We should work together as a committee. India is committed to extending full cooperation to a successful outcome of the summit."