India has declined to ratify the paragraph endorsing the Belt and Roads Initiative (BRI), a favourite project of Chinese President Xi Jinping, in the New Delhi declaration issued at the conclusion of the leaders’ summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). A similar formulation was used in the Samarkand declaration in 2022 when India refused to sign off on the paragraph.
India was the only participant who didn’t support the initiative. Other countries including Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan reiterated their endorsement of the Belt and Roads Initiative in the statement released at the conclusion of the conference which was hosted by India. The event was virtually attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other SCO leaders.
“Reaffirming their support for China’s ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI) initiative, the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Russian Federation, Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan note the ongoing work to jointly implement this project, including efforts to link the construction of the Eurasian Economic Union and BRI,” the statement by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) read. Pakistan is a major beneficiary of the initiative.
Originally announced as “Silk Road Economic Belt”, the Belt and Road Initiative is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the Chinese government to invest in more than 150 countries and international organizations. Through this, China invests in ports, skyscrapers, railroads, roads, bridges, airports, dams, power stations, and railroad tunnels in the countries that have signed up for the scheme.
It mentioned, “They spoke in favour of implementing the Roadmap for a gradual increase in the share of national currencies in mutual settlements by the interested Member States.”
The Delhi declaration utilises similar language to the Samarkand declaration on the subject of terrorism but substituted the word “chauvinism” for “ultranationalism” this time.
“The member states consider it important to build up joint coordinated efforts by the international community to counter the activities of terrorist, separatist and extremist groups, paying special attention to preventing the spread of religious intolerance, aggressive nationalism, ethnic and racial discrimination, xenophobia, ideas of fascism and chauvinism,” it further continued.
India had already turned down Xi Jinping’s main initiative for connectivity and trade. The country has not modified its position on the BRI since the previous SCO meetings, making it the only nation in the group to oppose the initiative.
“The member states intend to broaden and deepen cooperation for sustainable socio-economic development and to improve the well-being and living standards of the people in the SCO region. They consider it important to ensure the implementation of the SCO Economic Development Strategy 2030 adopted by interested Member States, other joint programmes and projects aimed at promoting cooperation in such priority areas,” the declaration noted.
The SCO Economic Development Strategy 2030, which “interested member states” had adopted, as well as projects aimed at fostering cooperation in a number of areas, including the digital economy, finance, energy, and food security, as well as the modernisation of current international rail and road routes, were also cited as being important in the declaration.
Earlier, in his opening remarks at the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that it is crucial to protect the fundamental tenets of the SCO charter, particularly the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states while working to increase connectivity.
In the meantime, according to state news agency Xinhua, Xi Jinping reaffirmed Beijing’s position on advancing BRI and spoke of “high-quality Belt and Road cooperation” with the regional cooperation ventures and development strategies of various nations.
He remarked, “Efforts should be made to further promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, speed up the development of port infrastructure and regional and international logistic corridors, and ensure stable and smooth functioning of regional industrial and supply chains. Ten years ago, I proposed the Belt and Road Initiative, and on its tenth anniversary, China will hold the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.”
Although connectivity is crucial, India has asserted that the integrity of the territory and sovereignty of other nations must also be respected. Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra proclaimed, “Prime Minister clearly said in his remarks that connectivity is important for SCO member states. But connectivity has to be respectful of sovereignty and territorial integrity. India’s position on the BRI has been clear,” while addressing the briefing of the Ministry of External Affairs on 4th July.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and other group leaders attended the conference that Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over.
The SCO has seen a lot of activity and productive member-state cooperation under India’s presidency. Fourteen ministerial-level meetings were among the 134 meetings and events that the latter held. The country is still dedicated to contributing positively and constructively to the group and is anticipating a successful SCO Summit as the conclusion of its Chairmanship. India will continue to hold the rotating presidency through September of this year.
