Wuhan (China) April 28 (IANS) China on Saturday said it won t push India hard if it has issues joining Beijing s multi-billion dollar Belt and Road project.
India opposes China s ambitious connectivity project as its key artery -- China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) -- passes through disputed Kashmir held by Islamabad and claimed by New Delhi.
"We feel that there is no fundamental difference between China and India on the issue of supporting inter-connectivity " Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou said.
"The Indian side does not exclude this cooperation. It is also continuing to advance on interconnection. India is also a founding member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). It is the second largest shareholder of our region " Kong said.
"As for whether India accepts the expression Belt and Road I think it is not important and China will not be too hard on it " he said.
Earlier this week at the eight-member Shanghai Cooperation Summit s Foreign Ministerial meet India was the only country not to endorse the Belt and Road project.
In May 2017 India skipped China s mega Belt and Road conference citing its objection to the CPEC.
China maintains that the project is an economic one and won t affect its neutrality on the Kashmir matter between India and Pakistan.
--IANS
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