Rup Narayan Das replies: Economic engagement in terms of trade, commerce and investment between two sovereign countries is always normal and legitimate, and no third country should have any qualms about it. Like apple and orange, it would be unfair to compare China’s economic engagement with Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Myanmar with that of India. China’s gross domestic product (GDP) is roughly five times that of India and it also has a robust reserve of foreign exchange, which it is investing through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Indian Foreign Secretary’s Visit to Myanmar
Given Myanmar’s geostrategic significance and the continuing insurgency threat, disturbances in Myanmar pose a direct and serious policy challenge to India. A calculated realistic approach weighing the evolving ground situation alone will deliver the objectives of India’s foreign policy.