With the SAARC in limbo for a long time now, China seeks to implement what is being seen as a larger gameplan to expand influence in South Asia. In what is being seen by many as an extension of its debt trap diplomacy, Beijing is now planning to make inroads into several South Asian countries through what it calls poverty alleviation initiative.
What indicates Dragon’s ulterior motive is the establishment of China-South Asian Countries Poverty Alleviation and Cooperative Development Center in Chongqing City. Indian diplomatic sources believe that “this is nothing but China’s attempt to trap the countries which are in a bad shape economically as a result of Covid.” “No noble cause is behind this initiative, given what China has been doing by weaponsing lending to trap several poor and developing countries,” officials say. Sources say India is keeping a close watch on this development “which reveals Chinese ambition to expand its footprint in South Asian countries, and its reaction to Quad (a group consisting of US, India, Japan and Australia) to counter Beijing’s expansionist behaviour.”
What is a significant part of this development is that of the eight members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), five have joined China-led initiatives.
Only Bhutan and the Maldives apart from India have stayed away from it. Sources, however, say that China is pressurizing the Maldives as well. Top sources told TheDailyGuardian that the communist rulers have been sending their representatives to these countries over the past few months to explain to them the benefits of being part of the “so-called” poverty eradication initiative.
Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense, Wei Fenghe had in the month of April met Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in Colombo. His visit to Sri Lanka was related to the same agenda as well. The idea of setting up the centre was first shared during a virtual meeting of foreign ministers of the five South Asian nations and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the month of April. These five nations are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
In fact, Beijing is already trying to exploit the situation resulting from economic devastation by Covid in several developing and poor countries of South Asia and other global regions. Its debt trap diplomacy is understood to be in full swing to tighten its grip on countries where the economy is in a bad shape post Covid.
Indian officials do agree that China is making such a move at a time when the SAARC is not functional and rather ineffective. Beijing is said to be reaching out to SAARC countries with tempting offers just to trap them.