Days after a top Pakistan general surprisingly invited India to join the USD 51 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, state-owned Chinese media has advised New Delhi to accept Islamabad’s offer, pitching that such an opportunity could be of transient benefit to all involved.
“New Delhi should consider accepting the olive branch Pakistan has extended in a bid to participate in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor”, said an article in the Global Times, adding that there is a possibility that the open attitude toward India joining the CPEC will quickly be overwhelmed by opposition voices from Pakistan if India does not respond in a timely manner.
It said that since India’s primary strategy is to promote economic and social development in the Kashmir region, the best way to reduce hostilities is by establishing economic cooperation based on mutual benefits to put aside what cannot be reached by a consensus.
It claimed that China has no intention of using the CPEC as strategic leverage to intervene in Pakistan and India’s dispute and that it would rather adopt an open attitude towards New Delhi joining the CPEC.
It said that as India is ramping up efforts to integrate itself into global manufacturing chains, the country could boost its exports and slash its trade deficit with China via new trade routes that would be opened up by the CPEC.
