AMN
The Trump administration today threw its weight behind India’s opposition to the China- Pakistan Economic Corridor, CPEC, saying it passes through a disputed territory and no country should put itself into a position of dictating the Belt and Road initiative.
US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis told this to members of the Senate Armed Services Committee during a Senate hearing on South Asia. Having returned from his maiden trip to India last week wherein he met his counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mattis appeared to be a strong opponent of China’s ambitious, One Belt One Road, OBOR initiative. Mattis was responding to a question from Senator Charles Peters over OBOR and China’s policy in this regard.
He said, in a globalised world, there are many belts and many roads, and no one nation should put itself into a position of dictating ‘one belt, one road. Apparently rerrring to India’s position on CPEC, Mattis said, the One Belt One Road also goes through disputed territory, that in itself shows the vulnerability of trying to establish that sort of a dictate.
India skipped the Belt and Road Forum, BRF in May this year due to its sovereignty concerns over CPEC, the 60 billion dollars flagship project of China’s prestigious OBOR which passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
On India’s policy on Afghanistan Mattis said India is committed to not only continuing but also broadening its developmental efforts in
Afghanistan. US Defence Secretary told lawmakers that this is the sense he got in India during his meetings with the leaders during his visit last week.