India Stays Away as Sharif Cozies up to China at Belt and Road Summit

On the eve of the summit’s launch, China and Pakistan signed six pacts, including one on building an airport at the strategic Gwadar port city, with President Xi Jinping asserting that ties with Islamabad were a priority. The pacts were signed in the presence of Sharif and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

After the MoUs and agreements were signed, Xi told Sharif that the bilateral ties remain "a priority for China" and Beijing was willing to enrich the "all-weather" strategic and cooperative partnership with Pakistan.

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Sharif also attended a presentation made by China's National Energy Administration (NEA) on the construction of Bhasha Dam, a project which he said is of critical importance for the future of Pakistan. Pakistani media has reported China's interest in providing $50 billion to fund the project could generate 40,000 MW hydro-electricity.

In a strongly-worded statement issued hours before the opening of the forum in the Chinese capital, India said the connectivity initiative must be pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"Connectivity initiatives must follow principles of financial responsibility to avoid projects that would create unsustainable debt burden for communities, balanced ecological and environmental protection and preservation standards, transparent assessment of project costs, and skill and technology transfer to help long-term running and maintenance of the assets created by local communities," Baglay said.

The remarks assume significance given that China is trying to project that by skipping the BRF, India may be "isolated" in the region as all countries in South Asia — barring Bhutan which doesn't have diplomatic relations with China — are participating.

India's stand on the meet comes after a year of bilateral discord over China's stubborn opposition to its entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and a UN ban against Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Muhammad leader Masood Azhar. China also protested India's decision to permit the Dalai Lama last month to visit Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as South Tibet.