Huang Dekai, Zhu Like & Jiang Maoxia

Yao Jing, China's ambassador to Pakistan, said recently that China had no objection to Saudi Arabia and other countries participating in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and hoped to extend the corridor to Central Asian countries through Afghanistan. Last December, the first China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Tripartite Foreign Ministers Dialogue was held in Beijing. The meeting discussed three major topics: "political mutual trust and reconciliation," Development cooperation and connectivity, "and" Security cooperation and counter-terrorism. "

And this meeting held a joint press release. Among them, through Afghanistan and China-Central Asia-West Asia Economic Corridor docking with each other, causing the Indian media to question.

The issue of gradual interfacing between Afghanistan and the China-Central Asia-West Asia Economic Corridor has been questioned by the Indian media. At the press conference that followed, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi took the opportunity to respond to the Indian media's question about "the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor extends to Afghanistan and encircles India." At a regular meeting of the Chinese Foreign Ministry after that, a reporter raised the same question with the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In this regard, the Chinese side has consistently stated that the China-Brazil Economic Corridor is not aimed at third parties, and at the same time hopes to benefit third parties and the entire region. India has expressed grave concern over China's "Belt and Road" initiative, especially the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which it believes is damaging to India's national interests. But why is India so worried about China's initiative to build "Belt and Road"? This has something to do with India's longstanding adherence to its traditional geopolitical strategy.

 After the end of the Cold War, the world powers abandoned the traditional mode of thinking of geopolitical confrontation, peace and development has become the theme of the times. However, some countries still adhere to the traditional geopolitical strategy, national comfort and sense of security are built on the basis of narrow national interests and political opposition, and continue to continue the traditional geopolitical view. India is one of those countries.

India takes the traditional geopolitics as a strategic consideration: on the one hand, it believes that China's promotion of regional cooperation will bring challenges to India in the zero-sum game, and even endanger India's national interests and security. On the other hand, it weakens India's relations with neighboring countries and makes them more vulnerable, especially when the foreign powers enter the so-called geopolitical sphere of influence of India, these countries are eager to break away from the geopolitical relations between India; Creating a scene of growing geopolitical struggle in the region around India.

    India's refusal to participate in or even boycott the "Belt and Road" initiative is not only India's jealousy of the profits of its neighboring countries because it does not seize this development opportunity, but it is also a deliberate attempt to create "320 without silver here," pushing it into the abyss of self-fear. It is believed that China's "Belt and Road" initiative is robbing India of its sphere of influence. And, of course, to create an atmosphere of isolation.Therefore, it is natural for India to consider China's "Belt and Road" initiative based on its traditional geopolitical strategy, suggesting that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and its extension will harm India's interests. What is undeniable is that India has forced itself into a passive position and also deprived it of many opportunities for development.

    As a matter of fact, "Belt and Road" is an international cooperation initiative for mutual discussion, joint construction, sharing, and win-win cooperation, and it is not a pattern of cooperation that goes both ways, and does not harm the interests of any country; on the contrary, it is a kind of joint participation and joint construction.

 A new model of geo-cooperation for mutual benefit. China and other countries also welcome India to participate in the "Belt and Road" construction. Pakistan, which is at enmity with India, invited India to participate in the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in December 2016, in order to share the fruits of future development and ease the long-standing confrontation. Therefore, the extension of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan is not an encirclement of India, but rather the demand for the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor under "Belt and Road".

     China and India, as emerging powers and promoters of the new international order, should not adhere to the traditional mode of thinking in opposition, but should adhere to the correct view of justice and interests, actively participate in regional governance, and build a new type of state-to-state relations. We should promote a peaceful international environment and a stable international order, seek open, innovative, inclusive and mutually beneficial development prospects, promote interlocking development at the national, regional and global levels, and jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind.

(Huang Dekai, Scholar of Sichuan Police College; Zhu Like, Scholar of Yunnan University; Jiang Maoxia, Scholar of Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences)