SAARC council of ministers
China's aggressive campaign to push for full membership of SAARC does not appear to be happening for now. Senior government sources have told NDTV that at the SAARC foreign ministers' meeting today, Pakistan demanded a greater role for China as an observer in the grouping. China is already an observer along with 8 other countries like the US and Japan.
Indian government sources say the issue of full membership for China did not come up because it was not on the agenda. According to sources, Pakistan said their views on the matter are well known.
Syed Akbaruddin, India's foreign ministry spokesperson, said, "There was a suggestion of strengthening of role of observers. There was no further debate and no discussion. Nothing in Kathmandu declaration on this because there was no great support for this move."
In the run up to the Summit, the official Chinese media has aggressively talked about granting Beijing full membership.
Nepal's Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey was quoted as saying that Nepal will have no problems if all members of the eight-nation SAARC countries agree to turn China into a member state.
China has taken a keen interest in SAARC and investments in the region. Pakistan is an old ally. Chinese submarines recently docked in Sri Lanka much to India's discomfort.
Recently, China also announced that it would spend over 1.5 million dollars over the next four years to help develop Nepal's northern districts.
PM Modi's push for greater interaction with the neighbours therefore is seen as an attempt to counter Beijing's growing clout. But many believe the bickering with Pakistan has held the grouping back. Nepal's Information and Communications Minister Minendra Rijal told NDTV that SAARC has not realised it's full potential as a result and that India and Pakistan should talk.