‘India excluded’; China has met with 19 countries in the Indian Ocean region
Beijing: China has reportedly met with 19 countries in the Indian Ocean region this week. The meeting was held excluding India.
The China International Development Cooperation Agency (The China International Development Cooperation Agency), an organization related to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has released a press release stating that on November 21, a meeting on the development cooperation of the China-Indian Ocean Region Forum was held and 19 countries participated in it.
According to the press release, the meeting was held in Kunming, Yunnan Province on the topic of Shared Development: Theory and Practice from the Perspective of the Blue Economy.
Representatives of 19 countries namely Indonesia, Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Afghanistan, Iran, Oman, South Africa, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Madagascar, Mauritius, Djibouti, Seychelles and Australia and representatives of three international organizations were present in the meeting.
But according to information from various sources, India was not invited to this meeting, according to the Indian Express report.
Even when China met with various Asian countries last year regarding covid 19 vaccine cooperation, India’s participation was not there.
Luo Zhaohui is the head of the China International Development Cooperation Agency. He is also India’s Chinese Ambassador and former Chinese Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
Luo Zaohui is also a member of the ruling Chinese Communist Party, according to the organization’s official website.
According to the website, the purpose of the organization is to formulate strategic guidelines, plans and policies for foreign aid, coordinate and advise on major foreign aid issues, and advance the country’s reforms in matters including foreign aid.
Meanwhile, bilateral relations between the two countries further soured following a clash between Chinese and Indian forces in the Galwan Valley in June 2020.
Content Highlight: China held meeting with 19 countries in Indian Ocean region without India being a part of it