China, Pak may counter any Indian disruption to CPEC: expert

Chinese scholars are "deeply disturbed" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent reference to Balochistan, a senior expert today said as he warned of joint steps by China and Pakistan if an "Indian factor" disrupts the USD 46 billion CPEC, with the region as its hub.
"My personal view is that if India is adamant and if Indian factor is found by China or Pakistan in disrupting the process of CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor), if that becomes a reality, it will really become a disturbance to China-India relations, India-Pakistan relations," South Asia expert Hu Shisheng said.
"If that happens China and Pakistan could have no other way but take united steps. I want to say that the Pakistan factor could surge again to become the most disturbing factor in China-India relations, even more than the Tibet, border and trade imbalance issues," he told PTI here.

Hu, director of state-run think-tank Institute of South and Southeast Asian and Oceanian Studies at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations affiliated to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said such a scenario could be very disappointing to all the scholars relating to India-China relations.
"All the three countries could be badly derailed from their current facts of economic and social development. It could be very bad," he said.
Expressing concern over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reference to the human rights situation in Balochistan in his Independence Day address, he said Chinese scholars were "deeply disturbed by the reference".

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has so far has not commented on Modi's references to Balochistan, which is the hub of CPEC connecting China's Xinjiang province with Pakistan.

"I think the two countries (China and Pakistan) will do whatsoever to enhance the security and smooth construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. But what kind of forms I have no idea.
"I am just wondering whether military involvement could be one of the choice but in my personal view, it is very unlikely," he said in response to a question on the nature of China's involvement and maintained that the views are his personal made in the interest of India-China relations.
He also said China is unlikely to change its policy in South Asia.
Besides a host of energy-related projects, the CPEC consists of rail, road and pipelines to ferry oil and gas from Balochistan port Gwadar to Kashghar in Xinjiang through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

He also said that CPEC is "for the regional stability".
"This is also China's purpose to carry forward with this giant project jointly with Pakistan. If CPEC is completed not only China and Pakistan but also Afghanistan, India and Iran can benefit a lot.
"It is quite open. In future, some Indian regional development initiatives can use the physical development of CPEC like India's connectivity to the Central and West Asia, Gulf region, India's projects in Chabahar port in Iran," he said.
He claimed the CPEC will not disturb the sovereignty claim of Pakistan and India in the Kashmir issue.

"It is quite clearly written in the 1963 border treaty of Pakistan and China. One of the clause clearly stated that if Pakistan and India finally reach agreement on Kashmir issue then the treaty would be accordingly amended.
"The CPEC construction is conducive to regional stability including China's Xinjiang. China dare not give up the management and frontier regional development just for being sensitive to the Indian concerns over Kashmir issue. China has its own national concerns, especially stability of Xinjiang," he said.
"If Indian concern is too much, China is also one part of the Kashmir issue. If the accession (area by Pakistan to China) is regarded by India as one part of the problem then let the three of us sit down to talk. Whatever happened in the past, it has not become so serious then let us talk about it.

"Do not let it stand in the way of our respective socio economic development and do not allow it to come in the way of China-India cooperation," he said.
Asked about India's concerns over terrorism emanating from Pakistan, Hu said Islamabad should address India's concerns for its own development.
He also said there are differences between Pakistan's civil and military over crucial issues.
"Some times they don't agree with each other on some sensitive issues. My concern is that if India become more hawkish, hostile, it could only create more troubles for Pakistan," he said.
Hu also said there is difference between CPEC and South China Sea dispute where China objects to India taking up oil drilling projects in Vietnam.

China stands for joint development of the South China Sea region but other countries which have claims in the region opposed such a concept, he said.
He added that China is concerned over close India-US relations.
"In the past Chinese scholars are not so much concerned about India-US ties. We strongly believed that India's strategic independence can be trusted and can be maintained.
"In recent years, Indian strategic independence is facing some challenges because of security issues. The cooperation has been going really far more forward in the past one year," he said.