{"id":34752,"date":"2018-10-31T13:10:10","date_gmt":"2018-10-31T07:40:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=34752"},"modified":"2018-10-31T13:10:10","modified_gmt":"2018-10-31T07:40:10","slug":"dhaka-defends-chinas-obor-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/dhaka-defends-chinas-obor-project\/","title":{"rendered":"Dhaka defends China\u2019s OBOR project:\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/todays-paper\/tp-national\/dhaka-defends-belt-and-road-project\/article19804468.ece\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dhaka defends China\u2019s OBOR project<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Context<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque holds a view that countries must not become isolated in the name of sovereignty. He emphasized on the putting sovereignty issue behind and put economic benefits in front seat.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The statement is a counter to India\u2019s tough position against China\u2019s One Belt, One Road (OBOR) Initiative during a discussion on Asian connectivity projects.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What is China\u2019s One Belt, One Road (OBOR) Initiative?<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Considered as Chinese President Xi Jinping\u2019s ambitious project, OBOR focuses on improving connectivity and cooperation among Asian countries, Africa, China and Europe.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The action plan was approved by the Chinese state council in 2015. The \u201cBelt\u201d seeks to create a land route from China to Europe. The \u201cRoad\u201d, strangely enough, hopes to create a maritime route from China to the Mediterranean through the Indian Ocean.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Belt, which plans to connect east and west overland across the Eurasian landmass, envisions three routes: from China to Europe via Central Asia; from China to the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean via West Asia; and from China to South East Asia and South Asia.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The main crux is to grow land routes as well as maritime routes.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Why is the policy significant to China?<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The policy is significant for China since it aims to boost domestic growth in the country.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">OBOR is also touted as a part of China\u2019s strategy for economic diplomacy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Considering China\u2019s exclusion from G7, OBOR policy might just provide China an opportunity to continue its economic development.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">OBOR could help earn higher returns on surplus savings or capital exports and it could provide a new source of external demand.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It could use the excess capacities in railways, steel, metals and cement, to provide work for their construction companies, while using their experience of infrastructure projects.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is a stepping stone for China\u2019s aspirations of global leadership by creating a rival to the transatlantic economic area with the US at its apex.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What is India\u2019s position on OBOR?<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India is strictly not in favour of OBOR initiative.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The main reason behind India\u2019s opposition towards the policy is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is a part of OBOR.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recent Chinese reports claim that following the launch of CPEC in Pakistan, the country has received investments worth more than $46 billion.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India has put sovereignty issues and raised objections over CPEC projects in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It poses a major security threat to India as Beijing is trying to encircle New Delhi by undertaking construction projects in the neighbouring countries under the guise of connectivity purposes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For its political differences and strategic concerns, it is imperative for India to not budge from its position as it would count as a submissive acceptance of the CPEC. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>If India sets to join OBOR, what are its potential benefits?<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India and China need to ensure that their differences on political questions do not prevent both sides from advancing economic cooperation, something both countries have struggled to lately.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Modi government may need to consider the future of its Pakistan policy, because the possibility of India benefiting from regional connectivity by land would entail a measure of normalized ties with Islamabad.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It can be a great boost for employment and labor movement prospects for India, which is facing chronic<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">unemployment crisis in Eastern part which can be truly unlocked by this initiative.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India can join the maritime trade route with China and help solve its crude oil needs.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The landlocked north can have two vent-out ports in forms of Indian side and even Pakistan side creating economic prosperity in the process.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>How should India counter OBOR?<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India should upgrade internal connectivity.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India should modernize connectivity across its land and maritime frontiers with neighbouring countries. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India should work with countries like they did with Japan and multilateral institutions to develop regional connectivity in the Indian Subcontinent and beyond.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s vision document on ASIS- AFRICA GROWTH CORRIDOR can be a good front.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India Japan have launched their own infrastructure development projects to balance OBOR- GREAT WALL.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dhaka defends China\u2019s OBOR project:\u00a0 Context Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque holds a view that countries must not become isolated in the name of sovereignty. He emphasized on the putting sovereignty issue behind and put economic benefits in front seat. The statement is a counter to India\u2019s tough position against China\u2019s One Belt, One Road&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/dhaka-defends-chinas-obor-project\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Dhaka defends China\u2019s OBOR project:\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-test-1","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":{"total":0,"cached_at":"","cached_date":1704612531},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34752","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34752"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34752\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}