China’s CPEC could fuel tensions with India, says UN report

A recent United Nations report has said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) might create tensions with India and ignite political instability as the India-Pakistan dispute over Kashmir remains a matter of concern.

The report titled 'The Belt and Road Initiative and the Role of Escap' released by the UN's Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (Escap) also said Afghanistan's political instability could limit the potential benefits of a transit corridor to population centres near Kabul or Kandahar.

The report was prepared at China's request and covers the six economic corridors spanning Asia, Europe and Africa under the umbrella of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), reports ANI.

On the positive side, the report states that the CPEC could serve as the "driver for trade and economic integration" between China, Pakistan, Iran, India, Afghanistan and the Central Asian states.

India refused an invitation to attend China's One Belt One Road Summit held this month as it is opposed to the inclusion of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in the OBOR initiative, as a part of the project passes through a disputed region of Kashmir.