India and China Seek Economic Integration

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh are supporting a multibillion dollar construction corridor encompassing Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar that could “redraw the economic and geopolitical map of Asia,” reports Neeta Lal for the Asia Sentinel. The BCIM corridor was a topic during Li’s trip to India. “’Connectivity’ is China’s new mantra and the focus of Beijing’s long-term planning and strategic thinking, extending a web of rail, highway and air links all over the region … offering an infrastructure bank to help build it,” Lal writes. Such a trade connector route has been under discussion in China since 1999, and China now has the resources and incentive to see it built. The road signals anticipation and preparations for new industrial zones, rising labor costs in China, and close-to-home foreign investment goals for both China and India. The road could also help with diplomacy and perhaps even resolution of border disputes. – YaleGlobal