Another failed India-China platform

Member countries may have had great hopes for the BCIM Corridor, but apprehensions killed it from the outset.

Even after two decades of lively discourse and debate, 12 rounds of Track II Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Forum meetings during 1999-2015 and the setting up of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCIM-EC) Study Group, this grouping remains far from being formalised. Started as the Kunming Initiative in 1999, it is still a living idea that has huge potential, surrounded by uncanny scepticism and inexplicit non-acceptance by the ‘member countries’ themselves. The last BCIM Forum was held in Myanmar in 2015. From the very beginning, Bangladesh, China and Myanmar were represented by senior government officials whereas in the case of India the delegations mostly consisted of think tanks, business persons and former officials-diplomats. India never participated openly and directly. Even when there have been major events like the Car Rally in 2013 and the Kolkata-Kunming (K2K) meetings, which had visible support of the Government of India, the actual official participation never happened.