India Rejects China-Pakistan CPEC References in Joint Statement, Reinforces Sovereignty Over PoK

Indian Express - Explained · 4 Jun 2026 · 2 min read
Prelims · International relations Mains · GS2 International relations High relevance

India categorically rejected China-Pakistan joint statement references to Jammu and Kashmir and CPEC projects in PoK, reaffirming sovereignty concerns and strategic countermeasures like Chabahar Port development.

Key points

China-Pakistan Joint Statement in May 2024 referenced Jammu and Kashmir as a 'dispute' to be resolved per UN resolutions, triggering India's strong diplomatic rebuttal through MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

CPEC Sovereignty Violation: India opposes the $65 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as it passes through Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), violating India's territorial integrity.

String of Pearls Strategy: Gwadar Port's development under CPEC enhances China's Indian Ocean naval presence, with potential to threaten India's energy imports through the Strait of Hormuz (400 km away).

India's Countermeasure - Chabahar Port: Located 72 km from Gwadar, India's Shahid Beheshti Port project in Iran provides alternative access to Afghanistan and Central Asia, bypassing Pakistan.

[GS3-Economy] CPEC's economic viability remains questionable due to Pakistan's inefficiency and corruption, with incomplete projects failing to deliver promised growth, reducing its strategic leverage.

[GS2-International Relations] The Quad-India alignment contrasts with China-Pakistan's CPEC push, highlighting competing geopolitical blocs in South Asia and the Indian Ocean Region.

Third-Party CPEC Participation: China-Pakistan's invitation to international investors risks legitimizing Pakistan's occupation of PoK, prompting India's diplomatic pushback to prevent normalization.

Way Forward: India should accelerate Chabahar's development through diplomatic negotiations with Iran, diversify energy import routes to reduce Hormuz dependence, and strengthen Quad partnerships to counterbalance China's maritime expansion.

Key terms

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)

A $65 billion infrastructure project under China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), connecting Xinjiang to Gwadar Port via PoK. Its UPSC relevance lies in sovereignty violations (Article 1 of Indian Constitution), China's debt-trap diplomacy, and strategic encirclement of India through the String of Pearls strategy.

String of Pearls

China's Indian Ocean strategy involving ports from Djibouti to Cambodia, including Gwadar, Hambantota, and Chittagong. For UPSC, it relates to GS3 Security challenges (maritime threats) and GS2 India's neighborhood policy to counterbalance Chinese influence through partnerships like Quad.

Chabahar Port

India's strategic counter to Gwadar in Iran, developed under a 2015 MoU. GS2 IR relevance includes access to Central Asia bypassing Pakistan (Connect Central Asia Policy) and energy security amid US sanctions on Iran, tested recently during the West Asia conflict.

Gilgit-Baltistan

Pakistan-occupied Kashmir region through which CPEC's Karakoram Highway passes. Constitutional significance stems from Article 370's abrogation (2019) affirming J&K's integral status, making CPEC projects here violations of India's territorial sovereignty under international law.