Lankan Ranger
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China wants SAARC plus One arrangement (SAARC+1)
China, continuing its relentless push for a larger footprint in South Asia, has quietly approached some South Asian nations for an annual summit with it modelled loosely as a 'Saarc Plus One' fixture, diplomatic sources said.
'China wants an annual summit with our eight members on the lines of its Asean Plus One arrangement,' a senior diplomat from one of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation's (Saarc) smaller states told the Straits Times. 'It is a move that annoys India and most of us are just sitting quiet because we do not want to upset New Delhi.'
Saarc groups Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The group is holding its 17th summit this week in Addu, a Maldivian atoll south of the Equator.
While Saarc is host to a fifth of the world's population, it is dominated by India, which has a population of 1.1 billion people and a trillion dollar economy.
China's relentless push into South Asia through annual summit
China wants SAARC plus One arrangement (SAARC+1)
I think India should approve this idea, because if SAARC countries go for a vote majority of SAARC countries will vote in favor for China.
If India truly wants to bring SAARC into an operational level from the talk show level, currently SAARC just a talk show.
SAARC+1 also include China, Japan, South Korea & Australia.
China, continuing its relentless push for a larger footprint in South Asia, has quietly approached some South Asian nations for an annual summit with it modelled loosely as a 'Saarc Plus One' fixture, diplomatic sources said.
'China wants an annual summit with our eight members on the lines of its Asean Plus One arrangement,' a senior diplomat from one of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation's (Saarc) smaller states told the Straits Times. 'It is a move that annoys India and most of us are just sitting quiet because we do not want to upset New Delhi.'
Saarc groups Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The group is holding its 17th summit this week in Addu, a Maldivian atoll south of the Equator.
While Saarc is host to a fifth of the world's population, it is dominated by India, which has a population of 1.1 billion people and a trillion dollar economy.
China's relentless push into South Asia through annual summit
China wants SAARC plus One arrangement (SAARC+1)
I think India should approve this idea, because if SAARC countries go for a vote majority of SAARC countries will vote in favor for China.
If India truly wants to bring SAARC into an operational level from the talk show level, currently SAARC just a talk show.
SAARC+1 also include China, Japan, South Korea & Australia.
