The sudden toning down of the rhetoric by China on Doklam and disengagement may be a tactic to persuade India to agree on joining the Belt and Road Initiative (“BRICS off the wall,” Aug. 31). It will be a very difficult decision for India, given the reality that the Silk Road will pass through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. China may even agree to support India on Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) membership if India joins the BRI. However, sovereignty and terrorism are issues of paramount concern to India and China may not have anything to offer on these, in view of its proximity to Pakistan.
While China has encircled India by forging strategic relations with its neighbours, it is distressing to note that New Delhi has not been able to maintain its goodwill with other nations in the subcontinent. India needs to prioritise its foreign policy to secure its interests in the neighbourhood,
Kosaraju Chandramouli,
Hyderabad
