China indicates that if India joins OBOR, CPEC could be renamed

The foreign ministry of China while responding to its ambassador in India Luo Zhaohui’s word did not endorse or deny the word of Luo. He had stated that Beijing is ready to rename the CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) in order to address the concerns of India.

According to Times of India, the Chinese foreign ministry was encouraging Luo to negotiate with New Delhi over the matter while making sure that it did not upset Islamabad at the same time.

The ambassador had said in Delhi few days back that China “can change the name of CPEC” and “create an alternative corridor through Jammu & Kashmir, Nathu La pass or Nepal to deal with India’s concerns”.

The reason that Luo discussed the likelihood of CPEC’s renaming in public as many as two times shows that he was just following the instructions from Beijing and not giving his personal opinion , the paper quoted observers as saying.

According to the foreign ministry,

 “CPEC is an economic cooperation Initiative that has nothing to do with territorial sovereignty disputes, and does not affect China’s and Pakistan’s position on the Kashmir issue.”

India’s refusal to join OBOR at the same time which is one of the major issues the growth of OBOR.  PM Narendra Modi clarified this point when India became the first major country that did not take part in the OBOR forum in Beijing back in May while. Most western countries including the US did send their representatives.

As per a translation of the ministry’s statement  released in Chinese:

“China is ready to strengthen connectivity with all neighboring countries and promote regional economic cooperation and common prosperity. CPEC is a framework for cooperation focusing on the long-term development of cooperation in all fields. It is in the interest of both China and Pakistan. It is also conducive to promoting regional stability and development,”