CONTINENTAL, MARITIME AND AERIAL ASPECT OF THE ‘ONE BELT ONE ROAD’: INDIA’S PERSPECTIVE

Summary: The “One Belt One Road” initiative, is mainly to increase the regional cooperation and develop trade and economic collaboration. Nonetheless, with the OBOR initiatives China is also seen using commerce as a tool to expand its geopolitical and geostrategic influence. This article tries to highlight various aspects on “One Belt One Road”. The article would try to bring forth the insights, which helps in understanding the debates on new geo-political reality and trade and economic development through possible regional cooperation.

physical vastness, the idea incorporates a gamut of interactions be it culture, transportation, trade and economy. "The Belt and Road Initiative's", (BRI's) physical segments to the North is the land Route that cuts across Eurasia and to the South there is the Maritime Silk Road, commencing in the Chinese Coast passing through South East Asia into Indian Ocean touching several ports en route before terminating in Europe [12].
Ariel route is also playing an important role in enhancing the OBOR network. Presently, China is investing heavily domestically (approximately US $ 82 billion) for undertaking around 193 projects for improving areal route, out of these, 51 strategic projects (costing approximately US $ 32 billion) would directly serve the OBOR initiative 1 . New regional Institutions, such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and New Silk Road Fund (NSRF), are designed in part to complement and support the Belt and Road's development purpose too. There have been debates across the world regarding different facets of the Belt and Road initiative. The view and vision expressed by the Chinese White Paper on the OBOR/BRI is that it is primarily economic in nature, even though there are parallel initiatives in culture, education, technology advancement, healthcare and other domains [17]. From the economic perspective, it is clear that OBOR/BRI is the next major step to spur the growth of Chinese Economy. However, it is natural that such a vast and ambitious network invariably requires certain degree of security guarantees even though it has not been articulated in the ambitious OBOR vision document.

Land Silk Road
The land Corridors formulating under the OBOR/BRI initiative has ensured new regionalism and it is expected that this initiation will be a successful outcome of the deep neighbourhood integration policy and network diplomacy. New regionalism can be established by reviving connectivity through transport network. All the three basic components i.e. geographical proximity, technological feasibility and economic viability favours formation of new regionalism [4]. However, proper access between or among the countries for economic integration and regional cooperation needs to be maintained. It is a known fact that the 'Silk Road' is the oldest network known to mankind since 2nd century BC that has played greater role for the regional development. Through this network of roads goods, people and cultural exchanges took place which helped people of the region to understand their history, culture and thought process. The Silk Road represents a phenomenon of the political and cultural integration. The conceptual as well as the practical challenge was to devise a framework to create channels and mechanisms for interaction and cooperation that would accelerate economic development and widen the sphere of connectivity [1, pр.113-116]. Many regional countries are involved now in the revival process of the Silk Road and there is a wave of enthusiasm for revival of the ancient Silk Roads. Hence, it is expected that under OBOR the on land corridor projects can help in the regional cooperation by improving the connectivity playing a significant role in bringing down the gaps while promoting regional integration.

Maritime Silk Road
The Maritime Silk Road which is the southern route or the sea route of the "Belt and Road Initiative", was announced by President Xi Jin Ping in the Indonesian Parliament in Oct 2013 [22] 2 . During the ancient period, technology permitted only non-perishable, light, luxury goods of high value to be transported as a commodity. Chinese Silk as well as Indian Spice fit those requirements perfectly, besides tea, jade etc. The southern sea route offered lesser friction, could carry larger loads and faced lesser uncertainties barring storms and pirates.
The southern route was also more multimodal; with the sea based transportation aided by predictable monsoon winds of Indian Ocean taking goods via ships right up to Berenike in Red Sea, from where an overland camel caravan transported them to Nile. The riverine route was used to transfer them to Mediterranean Littorals [2, р. 66]. This multimodality continues to-date and achieves a different scale with containerisation of global commerce, where the ubiquitous standard 'boxes' carry goods with in, seamlessly traversing on ships.
The contemporary Maritime Silk Road (MSR) has two branches according to the OBOR vision document. One that leads from Chinese Coast to the Pacific and another that commences in the Chinese Coast that goes through South China Sea, through Indian Ocean to Europe [21]. MSR passes through South China Sea where competing claims exist between nations regarding island territories and the seas themselves. Then it passes through the narrow Strait of Malacca's, where they are perceived to be vulnerable. This adds a certain unique security dimension to this route. Through Malacca's it enters Indian Ocean Region (IOR). IOR is the global superhighway in trade, acting more as a connector between Atlantic and the Pacific. This is a sea line through which 80 % of Oil and 30 % of LNG needs arrive on the Chinese Coast [19]. This is also the line through which 30 % of global trade passes. In Indian Ocean Region, at sea there is relative calm, albeit with troubled littorals in Afghanistan and ISIS in Middle East 3 . Maritime Roads have also affected global history in several ways. Trade has always been associated with flag. The arrival of western maritime mercantilists also heralded colonisation in the past. India and China both were affected by the arrival of mercantile western empires in Asia 4 . Today, at a juncture in history when the centre of gravity of the globe is shifting to the East, this also has a unique maritime dimension-the "Westline" a fictional line that traces the shift of the global hub of maritime commerce has shifted too, to East Asia from Mesopotamia where it originally started five thousand years ago. As the new Maritime Silk Road takes shape five hundred years later from the hub of maritime commerce, it is going to be more economical and political in nature [10]. India would like China to participate in India's Maritime Silk Road projects like Project Mausam and Sagar Mala Project.

Aerial Silk Road
The "Space-based Silk Road" is likely to encompass many powerful communications satellites and high resolution remote-sensing satellites. The Beidou system would be an inevitable component of this infrastructure. China is also collaborating with the service providers for the Russian satellite navigational system called GLONASS. Currently, GLONASS Union and Chinese manufacturing company Norinco have proposed joint development and production of a multisystem receiver module for satellite navigation systems 5 . Their idea is to launch Russian-Chinese receivers for satellite navigation systems on the Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) markets 6 .
To promote international services for Chinese satellites, important aerospace enterprises and research institutes like the China Great Wall Industry Corporation, China Satellite Communication Co Ltd, etc. have collaboratively formed an International Alliance of Satellite Application Service (ASAS) in August 2014 and have initiated the "Space Silk Road" programme to coordinate international cooperative research in space-based satellite technology for the "Silk Road Economic Belt" strategy. Apart from the governmental and private agencies, a few interdisciplinary non-profit NGO's are also involving themselves in this project; the China Satellite Global Services Alliance (CSGSA) is one such agency. They are investing in developing ground facilities. Launching satellites is only one aspect of data collection. Currently, CSGSA has established trial satellite receiving bases in Xinjiang, Ningxia, Hainan and Fujian, all important locations for the B & R projects. Subsequently, for establishing receiving stations they propose to move westwards over land, through Central Asia [3].
The idea of the "Space Silk Road" appears to be taking a definitive shape. On May 29, 2015, the CSGSA and the International Trade Centre (ITC) jointly held the 2nd China Satellite Global Services 3 Only the chaotic horn of Africa has pushed the pirates into the oceans, which the comity of nations has been able to push back to a great degree.What has kept the oceans safe and maritime roads practical thus far is the United Nations Conventions on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS). This international law upholds the principle of Mare Liberum or open nature of the seas. From this emerges the freedom of navigation which enables maritime trade which carries 90 % of global trade in volume 4 Vasco's arrival at Calicut in 1498 followed several unpleasant events for the next 400 years in Indian Sub-Continent. History rhymed in China a little later, when some of these events were repeated with the Macartney's mission. These maritime explorations were mounted because both India and China were economic and commercial magnets of that time. These ventures never remained economic alone, as they acquired a political nature quickly 5 URL: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-06/24/c_134352983.htm, accessed on October 18, 2015 6 The Institute of Space & Earth Information Science (ISEIS) of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CU) along Dong Fang Teng Fei (DFTF, a subsidiary of the Beijing Xiangzhi company) also joined "Space Silk Road" for developing global satellite services.
International Cooperative Talks where international experts discussed the construction of the Space Silk Road. With increase in global aviation traffic in general and increase in traffic in the region owing to OBOR network. China proposes to use the "Space Silk Road" system to create a live-feed "black box" which would provide constant global coverage of all air, shipping and overland routes. The system is also expected to enable planes and satellites to communicate with each other. China proposes to use Beidou navigational network as one of the important component in this system 7 .
Seamless internet connectivity would be a necessity for the success of OBOR initiative. The main satellite company in China, China Satellite Communications, has plans to launch a new satellite using Ka-band frequency (offers higher speeds and requires a smaller satellite dish for operations) that is supposed to cover the B & R initiative regions. For China, OBOR initiative is a long-term strategy designed for it to assume a bigger role in global affairs through the business route. Various aerial and space-based platforms will play an important role in making this strategy successful. Such platforms hold a larger promise than being merely labelled as transportation (passenger and cargo) and information provider platforms [13]. Aircrafts and satellites have commercial, political/diplomatic and strategic significance. In the years to come, China is expected to make more investments both technologically and financially in these sectors.
India is proposing to launch a satellite for SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries. This satellite would be launched during 2016 with an aim to assist the region in education, health and communication 8 . In 2016, India is also expected to operationalize its own navigational system called IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System) and is proposing to offer navigation, tracking and mapping services to its neighbours by using IRNSS platform. Today, India has one of the biggest remote-sensing satellite networks in place 9 . India can use all these services to connect with the region and beyond and in this endeavour India would look forward China's participation in such projects under OBOR space network initiative.

OBOR: India Connect
Many roads of the "belt" under OBOR initiative are inching towards India. Throughout the history of Silk Road many scholars and businessmen from India visited China and vis a vis. Beijing is urging New Delhi to jointly develop a trans-Himalayan economic zone of cooperation with Nepal and Bhutan. India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, has already started regular bus services, that not only enhance trade but also work as an important tool to promote people-to-people contacts between the four immediate neighbours, of course, security issues are addressed simultaneously to avoid the regional confrontation.
Beijing has also been talking to New Delhi about the so-called BCIM (Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar) corridor to link the Yunnan province in south-western China with Myanmar, Bangladesh and with eastern India. It is no secret that the India till date didn't show much enthusiasm in joining the OBOR initiatives but India is now taking a fresh look on this. Upon deeper reflection today India is now upgrading its connectivity, modernising border management, building new ports and developing better coordination between the government and corporate entities on taking up these projects [20]. India is willing to cooperate with China on increasing regional connectivity, as India does not want marginalisation from the unfolding geo-economic transformation in Asia and in the Indo-Pacific region.
BCIM route is reportedly discussed between the Indian and Chinese leaders regularly since May 2013. BCIM route is going to start from Kunming to Kolkata, linking Mandalay in Myanmar further connecting Dhaka and Chittagong. Pursuant to the understanding reached between the two countries in May 2013, India and China have established a Study Group on the BCIM Economic Corridor [18]. With joint efforts by China, India, Myanmar and Bangladesh, this route is expected to become important trade connectivity, however, security issues need to be addressed simultaneously.
India is interested in exploring the opportunities coming through OBOR. India's interest is to sup-port the project and also to get the economic benefits from this. Further considering security concerns on the road, the regional cooperation could be beneficial for tracking regional terrorism and developing capabilities to respond to future uncertainties. Reports show that the regional countries would prefer India to be in the OBOR due to ancient linkages and for improving connectivity prospects. Hence, for India it'll be a prudent approach to creatively join OBOR. India also cannot ignore the significance that Silk Route brought to Indian through trade, cultural integration and sharing philosophy (Buddhism) and ideologies. That is why the silk route is also known as the "road of dialogue" [14]. The idea of connecting with OBOR could serve advantageous for India, helping to open-up a new path for formulating India's long-term domestic as well as foreign policy strategy. India is ideally positioned today to expand the volume and direction of trade. The concept of regional transport network is developing as a contemporary version of multipolarity at the macro and micro regional level and is not restricted to the boundaries of the state, projecting local features directly to the global world. In fact, India has initiated the route revitalization process in view of globalization and economic integration. India has already started renewing the age-old relations with its extended neighbours in Eurasia for reviving Silk Road connectivity. This is essential for the development of the region, however, some potential branches are yet to be revived to realize the regional cooperation and for the overall development.
Nubra Valley in Ladakh is the gateway to Eurasia for India; it has two Silk Road branches connecting India with Pakistan and China. Both the trade arteries contributed for centuries as an Institution of dialogue. The route from Kashmir after crossing Kahrdung-La, the motorable roads, bifurcates near Khalsar. Crossing river Shyok near Tirth and takes the northwards bend almost parallel to Siachen river upto Ullan Pati Nallah. This stream is a few kms ahead of the Panamik, (the hot-spring zone and just short of Siachen glacier), and after this the route turns north-west to cross Saser La reaching Yarkahnd and other markets of China and the Central Asian region and the Karakoram Pass through Dispang Plain. Another route moves towards west, parallel to Shyok River, via Diskit -Turkut -Kapalu -Skardu to connect India with Pakistan. This route was used till the mid 20th century; however, restoring this route will be of great value [5].
India is also looking into the possibility of extending cooperation and brings the connectivity with the Caucasus reviving the ancient silk route. Azerbaijan was a significant hub during the Silk Road trading days. Even today, Ateshgah Temple and Saries (Motels) used by the traders are preserved as a reminder of Silk Route connectivity between India and Azerbaijan. The construction of Ashkelon-Eilat pipeline to India has got the potential to bring Caucasus closer to India and in the process Azerbaijan's oil could be brought via tankers from Ceyhan to Ashkelon further, oil could fed into the Ashkelon-Eilat pipeline, which could bring it to Eilat on the Gulf of Aqaba, from there, Eilat tankers could bring Azerbaijan's oil to Mumbai [7]. The advantage in this route is that it avoids the Suez Canal, which is highly congested and not accessible to super tankers, reducing the time taken for oil tankers to reach India from around 40 days to 19 days and would open up the vast energy reserves of the Caspian Sea to India.
Turkmenistan -Afghanistan -Pakistan -India (TAPI) gas pipeline project is significant connectivity project that has already started and an important connectivity project to meet the growing energy needs of South Asia. TAPI proposes to deliver gas from Dovletabad gas fields of Turkmenistan to Pakistan and India via Afghanistan. TAPI gas pipeline project has been described as modern days "Pipeline for Peace" and a "Reflection of Desire". The implementation of TAPI project has enabled to bring Central Asia and South Asia much closer through enduring energy project, integrating regional countries for development and prosperity [8]. TAPI can support by providing natural gas for fulfilling the economic development plans and for implementing clean energy program. TAPI is expected to become a best example of growing regional integration process.
International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is significant regional transport corridor project which is extremely promising is trying to revive the silk route connectivity connecting east with the west and link the regional countries by rail, ship and even by road ways for moving freight from South Asia through Central Asia, South Caucasus and Russia to Europe. India signed an agreement mainly with Russia and Iran in 2001 to develop this route. The route primarily involves moving goods from India via ship to Iran, from Iran; the freight moves by ship across the Caspian Sea or by truck or rail to Southern Russia, goods are transported by truck or rail along the Volga River through Moscow to Northern Europe [9, рр. 31-34]. India has taken a major step by coordinating with the countries like Iran, Russia and the countries of Central Asia, as well as Bulgaria, to push the idea of this project and for its implementation.
Currently, INSTC project includes regional countries such as Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Syria, Ukraine, Belarus and also Oman. India emphasized on the need to increase cooperation and connectivity between the regional countries for mutual benefit. North-south corridor intends to facilitate this prospect and bring the powers of the region together. This project envisages a multi-modal transportation network that connects ports on India's west coast to Bandar Abbas in Iran, then overland to Bandar Anzali port on the Caspian Sea. Through Rasht and Astara moves further towards Russia and through Mediterranean to the Ukrainian ports of Odessa and Kiev and then onwards to Russia [9, рр. 31-34].
The INSTC route also has the rail connectivity of about 200 km from Iran to the Caspian Sea region. There is a possibility that in near future this network can be further expanded towards the South East Asia. While the Suez Canal route takes about 45-60 days, this Green Corridor project (INSTC) through Iran will significantly reduce transportation time and cost. it is expected that the INSTC route will take about 25-30 days reducing the transportation time significantly. INSTC will also reduce the transportation costs and eliminate the problems related to the legal issues such as vehicle weights, dimensions and operating permits, inconsistent documentation and inspections etc. INSTC is also expected to move through Nhava Sheva port in Mumbai (India) Bandar Abbas (Iran) -Tehran-Bandar Anzali (Iran) -Astrakhan (Russia). India is now keenly looking into the fast construction of Gazvin -Rasht-Astara (Iran) -Astara (Azerbaijan) railway route for connecting the railway lines of INSTC [9, рр. 31-34]. It is expected that the trade and tourism prospect will increase through this regional transport Corridor. India welcome China's participation in INSTC and expand the route connecting East with the West.

OBOR: Indian Discourse
In India there are various opinion and views floating on OBOR. Some consider this a as a significant regional project where as some are not much enthusiastic about this.
Views expressed by India's Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj in June 2015, calling the OBOR's China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project "unacceptable" since it crosses through Indian Territory.
Views expressed by India's Foreign Secretory Dr. S. Jaishankar at Fullerton Lecture on 22 July 2015, is that China's 'One Belt, One Road' initiative need to link China to countries, cities and ports across the Eurasian landmass, China would need to obtain broader approval for the projects from other countries in the region for moving forward... and where India stand is that... if this is something that China want a larger participation in OBOR, then there would be a need for a large discussion and that hasn't happened yet! However, India's former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran mentioned during his lecture at ICS, New Delhi, on October 9th 2015 Currently, India has neither the resources nor the economic weight to put in place competitive and alternative connectivity networks on a global scale....therefore, now, it may be worthwhile to carefully evaluate those components of the OBOR which may, in fact, improve India's own connectivity to major markets and resource supplies and become participants in them just as India chose to do with the AIIB & NDB.

OBOR: India's Concern
Given the opaque nature of the OBOR, it doesn't pose an open threat to India's national security. But unravelling the details of the OBOR suggests subtle security concerns and challenges for India [11]. India has shown concern over OBOR's China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project and as per Indian policy makers; CPEC might yield far-reaching economic benefits but can have serious security implications too. The discourse in India is such that the Karakoram (land) with Gwadar (sea) alignment has both commercial and military significance to serve as a strategic chokepoints vis-à-vis India. Some strategic analysts are of the opinion that CPEC might also prevent Af-Pak region from potentially becoming a safer place once US troops leaves Afghanistan [16]. Moreover, reports suggest that Pakistan is now working on raising the constitutional status of Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) region in a bid to provide legal cover to the ambitious China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The Pakistan's move could signal a historic shift in the country's position on the future of the wider Kashmir region. The proposal would see the mountainous region mentioned by name for the first time in the country's constitution, bringing it a step closer to being fully absorbed as an additional province [6]. Islamabad has historically insisted that the parts of Kashmir it controls are semi-autonomous and has not formally integrated them into the country, in line with its position that a referendum should be carried out across whole of the region 10 .Looking into the PoK's (Pakistan occupied Kashmir's) location, some views India are such that CPEC could have serious ramification for India which needs cautious approach.
As per Chinese officials the CPEC is considered as a "livelihood project"; not being "political", they are just "commercial" in nature. The CPEC project is designed to connect Kashgar in China's Xinjiang Province with the strategic port of Gwadar in Pakistan 11 . The CPEC, runs through a territory that is historically Indian territory and considered disputed. India has always maintained that Gilgit-Baltistan is part of the princely state of J&K, which had acceded to India 12 . India's concern over China-Pakistan understanding on the Gwadar Port is noteworthy. Though India is now considering to seriously looking into the Chabahar Port development with Iran; yet the volume of financial backing that Gwadar Port receives from China is far superior to what India can match. It portends that China may emerge as a "direct party" in the Kashmir dispute in future 13 . Even though China has maintained a somewhat "neutral" position on the Kashmir issue in recent years particularly since the Kargil war, terming it as a "bilateral historical dispute". However, the Chinese pursuit of the CPEC project may impel it to revisit its position on Kashmir in future. CPEC is expected to be connected with the Gwadar port in four key areas, namely, port, energy, infrastructure and industrial cooperation.
However, India's policy making and academic circles are of the opinion that while China defends CPEC, calling it a "commercial" or "livelihood" project. Then India's "commercial" activity for oil and energy exploration in the SCS (South China Sea) should not come under doubt. The debate in India is such that the Chinese explanation with regard to CPEC rises the prospect that it may, in future, emerge as a more directly involved "third party" with major stakes in the dispute even though China has publicly maintains the position that the "Kashmir" dispute is a bilateral one between India and Pakistan 14 . CPEC is estimated to involve an initial $ 46 billion investment in infrastructure development programme. Reports indicate that China will now run the Karot Hydropower project, which is roughly estimated to cost $ 1,65 billion, for the next 30 years before handing it over to Pakistan. This project is likely to be operationalized by 2020 [15]. As far as the opinion in the military circle in India is concerned they consider this as a stratagem that points to a "Three Warfare's Strategy", where psychological superiority, public opinion and legal application are integral parts of the strategy. Through the CPEC investments in POK, China is seemingly attempting to gain a "psychological" edge over India, influence public opinion in Pakistan and China might even get involved in the Kashmir dispute at a future date. Until now, China has maintained a "neutral" position on the Kashmir dispute in recent times, particularly after the Kargil conflict, terming it as a "bilateral historical dispute" between India and Pakistan, but the Chinese pursuit of CPEC might well encourage Beijing to re-look its position on Kashmir, a concern for India.

OBOR: Challenges and Recommendations
Any radical policy could increase the risk of chaos decreasing the scope of prospect. There is a challenge in number of sectors for smooth flow of trade and economic connectivity. Like there is a challenge to reduce the customs problems for easy trade and economic cooperation. There is a challenge in smooth and quick visa processing activities. There is a complication in simplifying the Banking procedures for conducting smooth trading and commercial activities. Lack of information poses another major challenge in communicating correct information. Therefore, to overcome the challenges, there is a need to conduct regular dialogue & interaction with decision makers, there is a need to discuss about the cooperation mechanism possibilities at regular interval with the concerned authorities of all the partner countries. There is also a need to implement collective security programme initiative. There is a need for greater transparency and sharing of information and the vision should be clear and unified. There is a need for better coordination and harmonize the strategies complimenting each other's requirement

Conclusion
There is a competitive advantage in the OBOR and OBOR initiative could realize the advantage of the regional countries. It is also important to note that in today's world, strategic and economic cooperation go hand in hand, hence, there is a need to formulate an intense economic and trade relationship for maintaining cooperation with each other. If successfully carried out then OBOR could make the entire region covered with a great infrastructure of highways, railways and logistics Centers as well as commercial hubs and these initiatives could take care of fast movement of both passengers and cargoes China through OBOR initiative has put forward its ambition and imaginations, however, should consider regional security issues and concerns while working on OBOR projects. To conclude must mention that there will be several obstacles and challenges but there will be a need to look into new diplomatic, economic and security realities on the ground to acquire the benefits and the expectations through OBOR.