NEW DELHI: in a veiled attack on China’s debt diplomacy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday some nations were tricked into dependence partnerships in the guise of development partnerships, adding that India’s development cooperation does not come with any conditions.
“History has taught us that in the name of development partnerships, nations were forced into dependence partnerships. It gave rise to colonial and imperial rule. It also gave rise to global power blocks,” Modi said at a virtual event during which he jointly inaugurated the Supreme Court building of Mauritius with Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth.
“For India, the most fundamental principle in development cooperation is respecting our partners. This sharing of development lessons is our only motivation. That is why our development cooperation does not come with any conditions,” Modi said.
China’s debt diplomacy involves striking favourable deals with countries that face huge debts which they cannot pay back. The prime example of such tactics is the Sri Lankan port of Hambantota, which is currently in Chinese hands as Colombo is unable to pay back its debt.
MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said the SC building in Mauritius was an example of India’s ability to implement projects in various parts of the world. “The new Supreme Court building provides state of the art facilities. It is a fully green building. The project has been completed on schedule and at a cost below the initial estimates,” he said.
Disengagement not complete, says MEA
Rejecting China’s claim on LAC disengagement, India said on Thursday it is still a work in progress. “There’s been some progress but the disengagement process has as yet not been completed,” said MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava