China has been quietly holding talks with Baloch militants in Pakistan’s Baluchistan Province for over five years to protect its $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative, according to a media report.

“China had been in direct contact with militants in the southwestern province, where many of the scheme’s most important projects are located,” three officials were quoted as saying by The Financial Times .

For more than half a century, Beijing has maintained a policy of non-interference in the domestic politics of other countries. But that has been tested by its desire to protect the billions of dollars it is investing around the world under its ‘Belt and Road Initiative’.

“China’s willingness to get involved in Pakistani politics has fuelled concerns in New Delhi, which is worried about China’s growing political influence in neighbouring countries, including Nepal, Myanmar and Sri Lanka,” the report said.

Pak. welcomes move

Pakistani officials have welcomed the talks between Baloch rebels and Chinese envoys, even if they do not know the details of what has been discussed. “Ultimately, if there’s peace in Balochistan, that will benefit both of us,” the paper quoted a Pakistani official as saying.

Another said the recent decision by the U.S. to suspend security assistance to Pakistan had convinced many in Islamabad that Beijing was a more genuine partner.

One tribal leader said that many young men had been persuaded to lay down their weapons by the promise of financial benefits. “Today, young men are not getting attracted to join the insurgents as they did some 10 years ago,” he said. “Many people see prosperity” as a result of the China-Pakistan corridor, he said.