Countries must not become “isolated in the name of sovereignty,” said Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque, striking a counter to India’s tough position against China’s Belt and Road Initiative during a discussion on Asian connectivity projects.
“Economic issues now dictate how much sovereignty one should exert,” Mr. Haque said at the World Economic Forum in Delhi. “We cannot be isolated in the name of sovereignty…There are times when you have to put the sovereignty issue behind, in the back seat, to the economic benefits to your people.”
‘High costs involved’
“We in South Asia are the least integrated compared to ASEAN countries,” conceded Congress leader and Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs Shashi Tharoor, speaking during the discussion “Asia’s New Normal” at the WEF conference, but warned that while India could not “dictate” to its neighbours, they must see the high costs of the Belt and Road Initiative.
“Chinese are now coming to build projects in Pakistan and in Sri Lanka they are increasingly seeing the exorbitant costs of Chinese aid. Many now call Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port project, a white elephant,” Mr. Tharoor added, explaining India’s position.
Mr. Haque’s comments came in defence of Bangladesh’s decision to join the 60-nation connectivity project promoted by China, even as concerns grow over the “debt trap” that the massive infrastructure projects are leading smaller SAARC countries like Bangladesh, Maldives, and Sri Lanka into. In May this year, India had refused to attend China’s Belt and Road Forum, on grounds that it was not transparent, led to heavy indebtedness, and most importantly, over sovereignty issues as the B&RI’s flagship project, the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, runs through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
However Bangladesh joined the initiative after Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit in October 2016, committing $24 billion in loans to infrastructure, railways and energy projects there.
“We can’t forget what the people want and before joining BRI we had several discussions with civil society, and it was clear, what we need is connectivity. For us as a country what we need is quick upgradation of our infrastructure, and our generation wants much more interaction and connectivity,” Mr. Haq continued, saying apart from looking to India, Bangladesh is also seeking connections to the East and ASEAN countries.
In Delhi for the Forum, Mr. Haq met Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar and took stock of bilateral issues, including ongoing projects and the situation with the Rohingya refugees.