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Delhi Shouldn’t be Disturbed by Russia-China Ties: Indian Delegate at BRI Forum

© Sputnik / Sergei GuneyevChinese President Xi Jinping, third left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, fourth right, attend the talks on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing
Chinese President Xi Jinping, third left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, fourth right, attend the talks on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing - Sputnik India, 1920, 18.10.2023
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Bilateral relations between India and Russia have grown since last year, largely due to a booming energy partnership. Meanwhile, India and China have been locked in a border standoff since 2020.
India shouldn't be 'disturbed' by the strengthening of relations between Russia and China, a former advisor to the Indian prime minister, who attended the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, told Sputnik India.

“Contrary to what some China-hating observers in the West—and also in China—would have us believe, China is not India’s enemy. True, we have some differences with China, but these can be, and should be, resolved through peaceful dialogue,” remarked Sudheendra Kulkarni, a former aide to ex-Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

India and China have been engaged in a military standoff in the eastern Ladakh region since April 2020. New Delhi has maintained that the border dispute must be resolved in order to stabilise the overall bilateral relationship.

Kulkarni underscored the point that Russia, on the other hand, has been and will continue to be a “consistent and reliable friend of India”.

“India should not view either India-China or India-Russia relations through American spectacles, much less should we India fall prey to American game plan to create enmity with Russia and China,” he stated.

Kulkarni reckoned that the US would “surely be worried by the robust ties between Russia and China”.
“For one thing, the US design to defeat and dismember Russia, by using Ukraine as a proxy, is not working. Moreover, China continues to have more and more friends as is evident from the impressive response to the Belt and Road Initiative summit in Beijing,” the ex-Indian PM advisor explained.
He stated that the “US hegemony is ending in today’s multipolar world”.
The Biden administration’s National Security Strategy (NSS) released last October describes China as the “most consequential geopolitical challenge”. At the same time, it calls Russia an “immediate and persistent threat to international peace and stability”.

Putin-Xi Meeting at BRI Forum

On Wednesday, Chinesese President Xi Jinping launched the Third Belt and Road Forum at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The event marks the 10th anniversary of the China-led global connectivity initiative.
Leaders and delegations from around 140 countries and 30 international organizations are attending the BRI Forum.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is attending the event as a guest of honour. Putin, in his opening remarks at the forum, confidently emphasized that the BRI is harmonious with the current endeavors to construct a more 'fair multipolar world.'
The two leaders also held talks on the sidelines of the BRI Forum, state-backed Xinhua reported.
© Sputnik / POOL/Sergei Savostyanov / Go to the mediabankRussian President Vladimir Putin listens to Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcoming ceremony for heads of delegations participating in the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China.
Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcoming ceremony for heads of delegations participating in the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. - Sputnik India, 1920, 18.10.2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcoming ceremony for heads of delegations participating in the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China.

"Political mutual trust between the two countries is steadily deepening. The two countries have maintained close and effective strategic coordination, and bilateral trade volume has reached a historic high, making progress towards the goal of US$200 billion set by the two sides," Xinhua quoted Xi as saying.

‘RIC Framework Should Be Revived’

Kulkarni also called for the revival of the Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral mechanism, under which the foreign ministers of the three countries meet regularly to strengthen cooperation on regional and global issues.
The last RIC meeting was held in November 2021 in a virtual format.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that Moscow supports the RIC as a platform to promote trust and confidence between India and China.
Kulkarni noted that RIC cooperation has also become important for promoting regional connectivity.

"Recently, a new corridor ─ the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) ─ was announced on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi last month. Some anti-China observers have described it as a counter to the Belt and Road Initiative. This is completely unfounded," he said.

Kulkarni noted that the Israel-Hamas War had rendered the IMEC as a “non-starter”.

“This is because IMEC is premised on Saudi Arabia-Israel cooperation. Israel’s brutal and inhuman aggression on Gaza has dashed the hopes of normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia,” he stated.

© Sputnik / Lidia StanchenkoRussian President Vladimir Putin speaks at the Third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on October 18, 2023.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at the Third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on October 18, 2023. - Sputnik India, 1920, 18.10.2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at the Third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on October 18, 2023.
Kulkarni has proposed that New Delhi set aside its concerns regarding the BRI in order to promote smooth and seamless connectivity between South Asia, West Asia, Central Asia, Russia, and Europe.
“The best and only option is for New Delhi to join the Belt and Road Initiative,” Kulkarni asserted.
India has expressed strong reservations over the BRI due to sovereignty concerns, as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) passes through the part of Jammu and Kashmir region which is under Pakistan’s control.
During the SCO Summit in July, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the importance of respecting the "sovereignty and territorial integrity" of member states when implementing connectivity projects.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the National Science Foundation in Alexandria, Va., Wednesday June, 21, 2023, with first lady Jill Biden. - Sputnik India, 1920, 22.06.2023
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