Jaitley, Pak counterpart lock horns over China's 'One Belt, One Road' proposal

Yokohama [Japan], May 6 (ANI): Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and his Pakistan counterpart Ishaq Dar exchanged cold vibes over China's 'One Belt, One Road'(OBOR) proposal during a round table discussion on Asia's economic outlook organized by the Asian Development Bank. Expressing India's reservations over OBOR, Jaitley said in general terms the idea of connectivity was good, but India has reservations with it because of sovereignty issues. Jaitley added that the OBOR proposal has several other collateral issues and he would not like to get into further debate on this issue at this forum. Responding to Jaitley's remarks, Dar extended Pakistan's support to the OBOR saying that such gigantic leap was pressingly needed to address economic challenges persisting issues in a lasting manner. Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Takehito Nakao and Indonesia Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati were also present during the debate. "The open trading system with lower barriers cannot be rolled back. We need more connectivity and more trade within the region," The Express Tribune quoted Dar as saying. He said the ADB had a greater role to play in this regard to achieve ultimate economic goals and objectives. Jaitley is currently on a three-day visit to Japan. (ANI)