India on Tuesday slammed China and Pakistan for inviting a third country into the multi-billion CPEC projects, describing it as a direct infringement on its "sovereignty and territorial integrity."
"Such activities are inherently illegal, illegitimate and unacceptable, and will be treated accordingly by India," Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson of the Indian Foreign Ministry, said.
The Kashmir dispute is at the core of India's opposition to the CPEC projects. New Delhi considers Jammu and Kashmir to be part of India which has been "illegally occupied by Pakistan."
The Indian response came days after the Joint Working Group on International Cooperation and Coordination under the CPEC agreed to "promote cooperation schemes involving third parties in line with existing consensus, including extending to Afghanistan."
The discussions to involve third parties in the CPEC have come at a time when the projects have seen sporadic attacks in Gwadar and elsewhere in the Balochistan province by the nationalist Baloch group.
Earlier this year, three Chinese nationals were killed after an explosion ripped through a van on a university campus in southern Pakistan. Last year in April, four people were killed in a suicide bomb attack at a hotel hosting the Chinese ambassador in Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, killing four and wounding dozens.
Beijing is currently involved in connectivity, mining, and infrastructure projects in Pakistan, all of which are being constructed as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The progress of some projects also stalled due to the poor financial conditions of Pakistan, which is running out of crucial foreign reserves and seeking a bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).