Sources have stated that Narendra Modi government's decision to not send an envoy to China's big Belt and Road Forum (BARF) has been the cause of much wailing and gnashing of teeth in New Delhi and the fact that India is practically the only large economy to not be represented there and that dozens and dozens of countries have sent representatives, many the heads of their governments it has come across to some people as the Modi government deliberately choosing to isolate India.
Further it was stated that if Modi has isolated India on this issue, so be it. He and his foreign policy establishment deserve praise for taking a bold stand of dissent on grounds that are both principled and realist and the government's thinking on this issue is unusually clear and well-articulated.
Meanwhile the Ministry of External Affairs
released a statement that "connectivity initiatives must follow principles
of financial responsibility to avoid projects that would create unsustainable
debt burden for communities, balanced ecological and environmental protection
and preservation standards".
Currently India is more than willing to cooperate with China on infrastructure finance witness its decision to sign up to the AIIB and BRICS Bank and on the many issues being taken up in the BRICS and other forums. This is, presumably, because it does not believe that those forums inherently violate the principles that it believes OBOR, as currently structured, would fail to uphold.
