Beijing at it again, now says India-Iran Chabahar deal will help China

BEIJING: China just won't let up with the disdainful comments about India. For an entire month, it has been stridently talking about how it will keep India away from the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

And now, it's trying to diminish India's recent deal with Iran to develop the Chabahar port, by saying it will be of great benefit to Beijing's multinationals as well, so it isn't "jealous".

"It is clear that the improvement of infrastructure in Central Asia will also provide opportunities for Chinese multinational corporations, which hope to find potential overseas markets in the region", China's state-run newspaper, Global Times wrote.

China, too, wanted Chabahar deal
That's all very well, but China, too, was looking to invest in the development of Chabahar port. In April, a Chinese consortium visited the Chabahar free trade zone and expressed interest in developing the port and building an industrial town there. The head of the consortium even said that Chinese companies were eager to invest in the strategically located port.

Before that, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Iran in January and in a joint statement, mentioned the development of ports as an area of cooperation.

The Chabahar port, located in the Sistan-Balochistan Province on the energy-rich Persian Gulf nation's southern coast, lies outside the Persian Gulf and is easily accessed from India's western coast, bypassing Pakistan.
So, the India-Iran Chabahar port deal must have hurt.

China sugar-coats feelings about Chabahar deal
This time, China attempted to sugar coat its words. "There is no reason for jealousy in China about a milestone deal signed between India and Iran," the article said.

The suger-coating, though, didn't last long. China just can't seem to help being condescending to India. For example, the piece constantly talks about India "striving to" get a foothold in Central Asia. It also says that China is "likely to be happy if India can join the ranks" of improving infrastructure networks in the region.

The article then goes on to rub it in even more, by tom-tomming its much earlier deal with Pakistan - a 2012 agreement formalized in 2013 - to develop the Gwadar port. There's no mention in this case about how India might benefit from Gwadar in a manner similar to China benefitting from Chabahar.

"Pakistan is working with China to develop the deep-water Gwadar Port in its southwestern region. The port is expected to shorten the distance of China's oil import route and open up new trade routes for China in Central and South Asia," the article said.

Chabahar is a big deal for India
And that's precisely why Chabahar is so important geo-strategically for India and must have upset China, despite what it says.

Iran's trade volume with India is a meagre $9 billion, compared with its trade with China, which is a whopping $52 billion. According to many in the Indian government, Chabahar is exceedingly important for India to break free from its strategic encirclement by China.

Ergo, it was exceedingly important for China, too, as it already controls the Gwadar port and has also restored its presence in Colombo and Hambantota in Sri Lanka; Chabahar would have completed the circle nicely, but it wasn't to be.