India once again declined to embrace China’s Belt and Roads Initiative (BRI) at the most recent leaders’ summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), citing concerns over territorial integrity and sovereignty. India declined to sign the section backing President Xi Jinping’s ambitious project in the New Delhi declaration released at the summit’s conclusion.
India has consistently opposed the BRI, claiming that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) violates its territorial sovereignty. This decision is in line with that position. The New Delhi declaration highlighted the ongoing efforts of other SCO members, including the Republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan’s Islamic Republic, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, to implement the BRI and incorporate it into the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union.
India’s stance in the New Delhi declaration mirrors its position in the previous Samarkand declaration of 2022, where it also refrained from endorsing the BRI. The disagreement arises from India’s concerns about the CPEC’s impact on its territorial integrity.
The term “chauvinism” was adopted in place of “ultranationalism,” which was used in the Samarkand proclamation, to discuss the issue of terrorism. It emphasised the necessity for coordinated efforts by the international community to combat terrorist, separatist, and extremist organisations and stop the growth of chauvinism, aggressive nationalism, racism, and ethnic and racial prejudice.
Regarding the prohibition on interfering in domestic matters (while ostensibly fighting terrorism and extremism), the New Delhi declaration kept the same language as the Samarkand declaration. It emphasised the member states’ dedication to resolving disputes peacefully via discussion and consultation.
The member states emphasised respect for the freedom of nations to independent and democratic choices in their political and socio economic development, even though the recent declaration did not specifically name the situation in Ukraine. As the cornerstone of enduring international relations, they emphasised the principles of sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, equality, reciprocity, non-interference in domestic affairs, and non-use of force or threats.