ENIOR officials from Pakistan, China and Bangladesh met in the Chinese city of Kunming recently to test the waters for a new trilateral mechanism for regional cooperation. The meeting between the Chinese vice foreign minister, Bangladesh`s acting foreign secretary, and Pakistan`s relevant additional secretary, concluded in pledges by all three states to see how engagement in trade, culture and education, amongst other areas, could be expanded. The meeting principally reflects China`s desire to expand ties with regional states. As the Chinese official noted, both Pakistan and Bangladesh are `good neighbours, good friends, and good partners of China`.

Both Islamabad and Dhaka are also partners with Beijing in the latter`s Belt and Road Initiative, of which CPEC is a part. Chinese efforts to spur regional integration and reduce tensions have also been visible in the recent rapprochement between Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, the meeting in Kunming has made certain quarters uneasy; for example, some in India are saying the trilateral moot is paving the way for the replacement of Saarc, even though the official Chinese statement said that `ChinaBangladesh-Pakistan cooperation adheres to true multilateralism ... not directed at any third party`.

If today Saarc is a moribund outfit South Asia is amongst the world`s least integrated regions it is India that shoulders the most blame. New Delhi has spent much of its energy trying to isolate Pakistan regionally and internationally, and Saarc has become dysfunctional as a result of these ill-advised efforts.

India is welcome to re-engage with Pakistan, and reviving Saarc can be a priority. It is also welcome to join efforts by Pakistan, China and Bangladesh to expand regional integration. But there is little chance of this happening, considering the jingoistic antiPakistan mood prevailing in India. By no means should New Delhi attempt to sabotage efforts by Pakistan to engage with regional states. While Pakistan-China ties are deep and multifaceted, relations with Dhaka have improved with the fall of the Hasina Wajed regime last year. The ex-Bangladesh PM had consistently given Pakistan the cold shoulder, and was close to India. The positive momentum should be maintained through bilateral and multilateral mechanisms, and it is hoped that the new dispensation that comes to power in Dhaka after elections next year continues to improve ties with Pakistan.