China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh mull scrapping SAARC; working to build a new regional bloc
“Pakistan and China are planning to form a new regional bloc to replace SAARC [South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation], where India played a prominent role. According to a report by Pakistan’s The Express Tribune, discussions between Islamabad and Beijing on this new alliance are already at an advanced stage. The report also said that Bangladesh too joined the meeting that was held in Kunming, China, on June 19 to discuss the new bloc. The main purpose of the meeting was to bring in other South Asian countries that were part of SAARC and invite them to join this new group, the report added.”
“According to The Express Tribune, Pakistan and China believe that the time has come to create a new group to improve regional cooperation and connectivity. The report says this new alliance could include other SAARC members such as Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Afghanistan. There has been no mention of India taking part in this new regional bloc.”
“A meeting to discuss the idea was held on June 19 in Kunming, China, with Bangladesh also attending. However, Bangladesh has denied that any new political grouping is being formed. Officials from Dhaka said it was only a meeting between government officials and not a political move. They stressed that Bangladesh is not joining any new alliance with China and Pakistan.”