Sushma Swaraj arrives in Beijing on four-day visit; China allays fears of regional hegemony

BEIJING: External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj arrived here on Saturday on a four-day visit to China during which she would meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and hold talks with her Chinese counterpart on wide-ranging bilateral and multilateral issues besides attending the Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral.
This is the 62-year-old leader's first visit to Beijing after she took over the office last year.
Swaraj is expected to finalize arrangements for opening the second route of the Kailash-Manasarovar Yatra in Tibet for which China agreed last year to open it for Indian pilgrims.
The route through Nathu La in Sikkim which facilitates comfortable travel by buses through Tibet was expected to be opened in the next few months.
Swaraj is accompanied by new foreign secretary S Jaishankar, among other senior ministry officials.
This is Jaishankar's first foreign trip after being appointed two days back, replacing Sujatha Singh whose tenure was abruptly "curtailed".
He served as India's ambassador to China for nearly four years before being appointed as ambassador to the US in 2013.
During the trip, that comes within a week of US President Barack Obama's three-day visit to New Delhi, Swaraj will "discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of concern to both sides" with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, ministry of external affairs said in New Delhi on Friday.
READ ALSO: China mulls opening of new route to Kailash Mansarovar
The two sides will also explore the possibility of a visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this year.
Swaraj is also expected to meet Xi, who along with Wang, had visited India last year immediately after the installation of the Modi government.
During her stay here, Swaraj will speak at the India- China Media Forum, interact with the Indian Community of Beijing (ICB) and inaugurate the "Visit India Year" aimed at attracting more Chinese tourists to India.

Mansarovar lake and Mount Kailash. (Getty Images photo)
Earlier, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told media that China attaches "great importance" to Swaraj's visit and bilateral ties between the two largest developing countries and major emerging economies were progressing in a "sound and stable way".
Ahead of her visit, a number of articles in Chinese official media came out with critical commentaries accusing Obama of attempting to create a wedge between China and India to further US Asia Pivot strategy to contain the communist nation's influence.
READ ALSO: Beijing to try to guage India’s response on South China Sea during Sushma's visit
Swaraj will also attend the RIC meeting with her Chinese and Russian counterparts.
Hua said being emerging markets, the three countries share similar views on major international and regional issues and hence, "will exchange views on practical cooperation and issues of common interest".
"We believe a range of consensus will emerge from the meeting to further our political trust and our practical cooperation," she said.
China admits mistrust about mega Silk Road project
Vigorously pushing its mega New Silk Road and Maritime Silk Road plans over which India has reservations, China admitted "mistrust" among other countries over its "strategic motivations" and sought to allay concerns of "regional hegemony".
Refuting comparisons between Silk Road plans for which President Xi Jinping has allocated $40 billion and that of the US' post-World War-II Marshall Plan aimed at advancing Washington's influence, state-run Xinhua news agency said the "One Belt and One Road" was not aimed at furthering China's "regional hegemony".
READ ALSO: China wants India in silk road plan
"Nevertheless, there remains mistrust in China's strategic motivation behind the Silk Road proposals. It is not surprising, as these are novel initiatives, especially to major powers," it said.

A man on a camel travelling on the the Silk Road near Tashkurgan, Xinjiang, nortehast China. (Getty Images photo)
The Silk Road involving a maze of roads including the ancient Silk route connecting China with Europe through Central Asia, the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) economic corridor connecting China and Pakistan through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Maritime Silk Road (MSR) connecting China with different ports evoked mixed response.
While India is taking part in the discussions of the BCIM it has not reacted to the MSR amid apprehensions that it was aimed enhancing China's role in India's backyard, the Indian Ocean.
READ ALSO: China pledges $40bn for Silk Road plan ahead of Apec summit
Officials say China may broach the issue during Swaraj's visit. She is due to hold talks with Xi and foreign minister Wang Yi. Xinhua said the plan evoked interest in 50 countries.
Sri Lanka was the first to approve the project under the previous pro-China Mahinda Rajapaksa government last year but the new government said it is reviewing the China funded $1.5 billion Colombo Port City project which if not approved or downsized could cause a setback to MSR as it was regarded as a main centre for the Indian Ocean region.
The MSR also includes Kolkata's port to further trade and commerce integrating regional and global markets.
"Unlike the Marshall Plan, no political conditions have been imposed on participants in the Silk Road frameworks. China has always advocated that countries should respect each other's rights to independently choose their own social system and development path," the Xinhua article said.
READ ALSO: China says Silk Road is taking shape despite India's reluctance to join
It is open to all countries and aims to achieve win-win situations rather than regional hegemony, it said.
The "one belt" and "one road" initiatives are similar to the Marshall Plan a careful view would show fundamental differences in historical context, motivation and potential impact between China's approach and the postwar plan of the US to provide economic and military assistance to its allies of western Europe, it said.
"There is no guarantee that the modern Silk Road will be an easy success, but time will prove that it is much more than the Marshall Plan and that China's gain is not others' loss," it said.