Russia urges India to line up behind China's Belt and Road initiative

Dark Sorrow

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NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Russia threw its weight behind China’s massive Belt and Road plan to build trade and transport links across Asia and beyond, suggesting to India on Monday that it find a way to work with Beijing on the signature project.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj (C) and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi shake hands before the start of their meeting in New Delhi, India, December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi


India is strongly opposed to an economic corridor that China is building in Pakistan that runs through disputed Kashmir as part of the Belt and Road initiative.

India was the only country that stayed away from a May summit hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping to promote the plan to build railways, ports and power grids in a modern-day recreation of the Silk Road.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said New Delhi should not let political problems deter it from joining the project, involving billions of dollars of investment, and benefiting from it.

Lavrov was speaking in the Indian capital after a three-way meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj at which, he said, India’s reservations over the Chinese project were discussed.

“I know India has problems, we discussed it today, with the concept of One Belt and One Road, but the specific problem in this regard should not make everything else conditional to resolving political issues,” he said.

Russia, all the countries in central Asia, and European nations had signed up to the Chinese project to boost economic cooperation, he said.

“Those are the facts,” he said. “India, I am 100 percent convinced, has enough very smart diplomats and politicians to find a way which would allow you to benefit from this process.”

The comments by Russia, India’s former Cold War ally, reflected the differences within the trilateral grouping formed 15 years ago to challenge U.S.-led dominance of global affairs.

But substantial differences between India and China, mainly over long-standing border disputes, have snuffed out prospects of any real cooperation among the three.

India, in addition, has drawn closer to the United States in recent years, buying weapons worth billions of dollars to replace its largely Soviet-origin military.

Swaraj said the three countries had very productive talks on economic issues and the fight against terrorism.
 

Yggdrasil

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Yes, it's a great idea for India to join Belt and Road initiative.

I suggest first step is to "clear" the Karakorum highway by any and all means necessary and PoK is recognised by China as a part of India. We will then proceed to get China's loan at 0.1% interest with 15 year moratorium and 50 year payment period. Beijing is most welcome!
 

Dark Sorrow

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Yes, it's a great idea for India to join Belt and Road initiative.

I suggest first step is to "clear" the Karakorum highway by any and all means necessary and PoK is recognised by China as a part of India. We will then proceed to get China's loan at 0.1% interest with 15 year moratorium and 50 year payment period. Beijing is most welcome!
I was thinking about interest free loan.
 

Dark Sorrow

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Don't mind paying 0.1% TBH if there's a 15-year moratorium. We'll give the interest as a favour for them withdrawing from their illegal encroachment in Gilgit.
Are you talking about simple or compound interest? 0.1% will also be an huge amount. Entire PoK and CoK (Chinese occupied Kashmir) is Indian territory. Why should we pay money to get back our own territory.
 

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Don't necessarily have to take Russian involvement as interference. We can use or at least try to make some negotiations with China in our favour with help of Russia.

Not the biggest economy but still the second best military power.
 

hit&run

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'Urge' and 'Line up' are confuting.

LOL

Kindly post the link of this article.
 

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'Urge' and 'Line up' are confuting.

LOL

Kindly post the link of this article.
That's Reuters :
Russia urges India to line up behind China's Belt and Road initiative
_____________
This is economic times
NEW DELHI:Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday opined that India has enough very smart diplomats and politicians to find a way which will allow it to benefit from OBOR process without sacrificing its position.

"I am 100 per cent convinced that India has enough very smart diplomats and politicians to find a way which will allow it to benefit from this process and at the same time not to sacrifice your position," Lavrov said while answering a query on India joining mega Chinese connectivity One Belt One Road or Belt and Road Initiative. The visiting Minister was answering a set of queries after delivering maiden Alexander Kadakin lecture organised by Delhi-based premier think-tank Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF).

When asked about possibility by Moscow joining China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship project of OBOR, Lavrov noted, "Russia has its own corridors and has large territory for such corridors and connectivity initiatives."

The comments by Lavrov on CPEC reflects that Moscow has different view on segments of the project.

Talking at length on OBOR the visiting Minister said Russia feels the concept is very interesting and needed to be explored in the context of building harmonious relationship for deeper regional trade and investment. Lavrov said almost all the central Asian countries have already signed documents with China for cooperation in the OBOR while Russia and other members of the Eurasian Economic Union concluded economic cooperation agreement with it.

Lavrov was in Delhi to participate at the 15th edition of the Russian-India-China trilateral meet.

India has opposed the OBOR due to its sovereignty concerns over CPEC which passes through PoK. Besides, India had also expressed reservation over financing model of OBOR that has increased debt burden for recipient countries and end goal of OBOR. Referring to the RIC deliberations, Lavrov said that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj "suggested" improving not only India-China ties but also India's relations with Pakistan.

While Lavrov lauded India's independent foreign policy approach in an indirect reference to the quadrilateral, he said, "We believe that sustainable security architecture in the Asia Pacific region cannot be achieved through bloc arrangement and is only possible through an open ended collective basis."

The Russian Foreign Minister also talked about the need for peaceful settlement of the disputes saying use of force and threatening to use force will not resolve any issue. Calling India a key partner for Russia, he said further strengthening of ties between the two countries can address numerous problems in the Asia Pacific region.

Kadakin, Russia's former Ambassador to India, died in harness on Jan 26 this year and was a batchmate of Lavrov in the erstwhile foreign service of Soviet Union and subsequently Russia. Considered best India hand in the recent times among the Russian officials Kadakin also a road named after him in Delhi which Lavrov visited on Monday.
 

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If they are insisting on India joining OBOR and connectivity, I think they would at least ensure by pressing/forcing Pakistan to not prevent Indian goods moving to Afghanistan and beyond. If they can't, there is no point talking of connectivity.
 

asianobserve

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Russia is urging India to play poodle to China?

Meanwhile, Russia extorts India for money to develop its (Russia's) new weapons developments that it is unable to afford, and then sells India junk weapons, while at the same time (Russia) sells its new cutting edge weapons (developed in part thanks to Indian money) to India's No. 1 enemy, China...

An all-weather friend, eh? :pound:
 

asianobserve

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Without cooperation between RIC, what happens to BRICS and its goal of creating a multipolor world?
China needs powerful core allies in order to develop its own alternative to US-centric hegemony. To this end Russia, which is in decline is not really the kind of core constituency that China needs, it's more like a Pom-Pom girl, all dancing but does not really add points to winning the game. What China needs in order to have a realistic shot at realizing its counterbalance effort against America is a really strong country like India (which is poised to be the World's 3rd biggest economy in a few years time) to act second fiddle to it.

So China is using its Pom-Pom girl (Russia) to entice India to be its poodle in its quest for supremacy or at least parity with US... If India falls for it, then I don't know what adjectives to call Indian politicians.
 
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China needs powerful core allies in order to develop its own alternative to US-centric hegemony. To this end Russia, which is in decline is not really the kind of core constituency that China needs, it's more like a Pom-Pom girl, all dancing but does not really add points to winning the game. What China needs in order to have a realistic shot at realizing its counterbalance effort against America is a really strong country like India (which is poised to be the World's 3rd biggest economy in a few years time) to act second fiddle to it.

So China is using its Pom-Pom girl (Russia) to entice India to be its poodle in its quest for supremacy or at least parity with US... If India falls for it, then I don't know what adjectives to call Indian politicians.
Chinese hegemony creates a multipolor world? You misunderstood something.

And Russia is still second most powerful military power in the world, not exactly pom-pom girl but has greater interest in co-operation with Chinese. They are also making case for India by pressing China on NSG. Also it's not just Russia but also China that wants to prevent India from getting into US led block. Chinese too see Russia as a threat although the main competition is US as of now.

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1079806.shtml
 

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I had said it in a previous post and will say it again.Russia will become puppet state of China by 2030
They would not accept becoming a Chinese puppet, that's why they will want to keep India in their camp. India can play the balancing game with its partnership from Russia and US.
 

asianobserve

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They would not accept becoming a Chinese puppet, that's why they will want to keep India in their camp. India can play the balancing game with its partnership from Russia and US.

There's no balancing inside BRICS or RIC or SCO. It will always be Chinese owned. Russia is in no position to balance China inside the latter's organizations. And when push comes to shove pauper Russia will always submit to China if forced into a decision between the interests of China and India inside these organizations (Indian and Chinese strategic interests will not align).

If anything, Indians should be the first to know now that as always when push comes to shove Russia will have no fuss abandoning India in difficult fixes with China. Remember 1962? And mind you in 1962 Russia was still the behemoth USSR. Now, Russia is just a caricature of the USSR and in need of China's economic weight at every turn to survive. So if Indians again fall to Russia's "all-weather" friendship call then I don;t know what think think anymore of the collective wisdom of Indian politicians.

It reminds me of the saying: "FOOL ME ONCE, SHAME ON YOU; FOOL ME TWICE, SHAME ON ME."
 

asianobserve

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I had said it in a previous post and will say it again.Russia will become puppet state of China by 2030
Your prediction might be a little too far off for Russia is already acting more or less like a Chinese puppet already.
 

asianobserve

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The most important thing to note is that without India on board, China's dream of parity with the US will always be that, a dream. China cannot create a counterbalance with only poor Russia beside it.

China cannot have its own NATO or West with only Russia and Cambodia... :pound:
 

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