Diplomatic relations between India and China continue to tread on fragile ground as New Delhi formally protested Beijing's move to technically hold Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammad leader Masood Azhar's designation as an international terrorist in the UN Security Council 1267 committee.
China, in justifying the technical hold, said that it cannot back the ban on Azhar just yet unless both India and Pakistan would discuss the issue with one another, but New Delhi asserted that it should not be framed as a bilateral issue, but as a global counterterrorism effort, the Times of India reported.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said that his office will review India's demarche, but he nonetheless insisted on China's stand on the issue, saying that the country is compelled to respect the Security Council's procedural rules in deciding whether to back the ban on Azhar.
But defense expert Qamar Agha offered a different take on the issue, saying that China favors any move that disadvantages India, with the block on the ban against Azhar--known for backing anti-India sentiments in Pakistan, being just one part of its strategy, DNA India reported.
Agha emphasized that China is trying to "encircle" India by investing in its neighboring countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka, using the civilian-centered "Belt and Road Initiative" as a tool to turn them away from Indian influence, mainly by serving as Chinese military outposts.
Yibada reported previously that China reassures its infrastructure investments in Sri Lanka, specifically in the port town of Hambantota, to be solely for civilian benefit, denying outright that the Chinese military will use it to establish presence in the Indian Ocean.
Yet the Hambantota port project has faced staunch opposition from within Sri Lanka, despite Colombo signing the agreement for its go-signal over its perceived benefits for the island nation's economy, which is currently riddled with debt problems.