Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping. (PTI file)

China has been trying to bring India onboard its ‘One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Centre has decided not to participate in the ambitious Chinese initiative because of several reasons including Beijing’s incursion on India’s territorial sovereignty through China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is a flagship OBOR project passing through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. China believes India’s involvement in the project is important and the country has been trying to woo New Delhi, but without success.

A number of articles in Chinese official dailies have raised their concerns over India’s non- participation in OBOR. An article in Global Times, a Chinese state daily, on Monday expressed concern that India’s stand on OBOR may “hinder” participation of Tibet in the project. “India’s attitude toward the B&R is not conducive to Tibet’s involvement in the initiative. Among countries and regions along the route of the B&R, India is the only large economy that has yet to express public support for the initiative,” it said.

The article also expressed fear that internal politics of Nepal may not allow it to participate in the project and “thwart the interconnection of the two countries’ infrastructure.”

As Modi-led New Delhi doesn’t seem ready to join OBOR, more so after the ongoing standoff between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Sikkim sector, the Global Times article suggested Beijing to “focus on cooperation with the state governments of India and major companies there.”

It claimed that the Indian states are less interested in geopolitics and more in their economic development than the Centre. “These parties (states) are always significantly less interested in geopolitics than national governments. There is a strong desire among state governments in India to promote local economic development, while heads of local government departments care about their individual political careers relating to economic growth.”

Amid the ongoing standoff in Doka La area of Sikkim sector over Chinese attempts to build a road in the region, the Chinese state media have published a series of threat articles and come up with notorious suggestions, in an apparent bid to divide India from within.

In an another article recently, the Global Times fiddled with internal politics of India by claiming “rising Hindu nationalism” may push India into war with China. Warning against “Hindu Nationalism”, it said, “The Modi government can do nothing if religious nationalism becomes extreme, as shown in its failure to curb violent incidents against Muslims since he came to power in 2014.”