Chinese scholar flags India`s concerns over PoK corridor

This is the first time that India`s reservations over China using Pakistan-occupied Kashmir for the corridor were highlighted in China`s official media.

Beijing: Apart from terrorism, India`s concerns over the planned economic corridor linking China and Pakistan through PoK are creating "a few uncertainties" about the project, a Chinese strategic analyst said on Tuesday.

"Other than terrorism, India`s concerns are also posing problems. Kashmir is the first region this corridor will cross when it stretches out of China," an article carried by the web edition of state-run Global Times here said. "The heavily disputed situation in this area will add a few uncertainties. Out of historical and practical reasons, India holds a negative stance toward the corridor," said the article written by Wu Zhaoli, a scholar of National Institute of International Strategy, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. This is the first time that India`s reservations over China using Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) for the corridor were highlighted in the official media here. The corridor was first announced during the June visit of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to Pakistan and an agreement in this regard was signed during the recent China visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. "But India should know that this corridor will have a positive influence on the economic development of Kashmir, and will not change the de facto positions of both India and Pakistan over this area," the article said suggesting that the proposed project would not affect the disputed nature of PoK. Given both India and Pakistan`s desire to explore the economic potential of the disputed area, it is probable that further cooperation might be possible through this opportunity, the article said. This economic corridor will be the backbone that interconnects China with South Asia, and will play a significant role in weaving together the networks of trade and transportation in this area, it said. This basic idea, to a certain degree, coincides with that of the "New Silk Road" that the US is promoting in Central Asia. The two plans may face competition in the future, the article said. PTI