India 'playing with fire' by hosting Taiwan MPs: Chinese media

he Chinese state media on Wednesday said India was "playing with fire" by hosting a parliamentary delegation from Taiwan this week.

A delegation from Taiwan, the first under the new Tsai Ing-wen government, is visiting India as part of stepped up engagement following the setting up of a parliamentary friendship forum in December, 2016.  India, like many countries, does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan and has followed a 'One China' policy. As a result, India does not have a formal embassy in Taipei - only an 'India Taipei Association' that enables political and business exchanges.

As Indian government officials do not formally visit Taiwan, the exchange of MPs has been seen as one avenue of maintaining contact.

This has apparently irked the state media in China, which said on Wednesday that "at a time when new US President Donald Trump has put the brakes on challenging China over the Taiwan question, agreeing to change course and respecting the one China policy, India stands out as a provocateur."

"Some Indians view the Taiwan question as an Achilles' Heel of the mainland," said a commentary in the Global Times, a tabloid published by the People's Daily, the Party mouthpiece. "India has long wanted to use the Taiwan question, the South China Sea and Dalai Lama issues as bargaining chips in dealing with China," it added.  The paper said that while "pro-independence forces in Taiwan have become more isolated in the world", those "who want to use the Taiwan question to contain the mainland will have to suffer losses".

The article suggested, without citing its sources, that given India's misgivings with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor that passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the Modi government had been advised "to play the Taiwan card, using the commitment of the 'One-China policy' as leverage in exchange for China's endorsement of 'One India'."  It, however, warned that "by challenging China over the Taiwan question, India is playing with fire". "Growing Taiwanese investment in India, including steel, telecom and information technology are important to Modi's [Make in India] campaign. Although the mainland is a major trading partner of India, political discord and the historical feud make economic cooperation between the two difficult.

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China sees Taiwan as one of its provinces, although the island has been administered separately following the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, when the defeated Kuomintang (KMT) fled to the island. Beijing has warily viewed the current government of Tsai Ing-wen, which came to power defeating the KMT that had favoured closer economic ties with the mainland.

While not outright pushing for independence - which Beijing says it would prevent by any means necessary - Tsai's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government has been more outspoken on carving out a greater strategic and economic space for Taiwan and diversifying its trade and political relationships, including by courting India.

The Global Times slammed Tsai for "exploiting India's vigilance and strategic suspicions against China". "The pro-independence leader came up with the 'new southbound policy' to ramp up trade and economic interactions in Southeast Asia, South Asia and Oceania, in which India is considered 'not one of the, but the most' important country, according to Taiwan's representative to India Chung Kwang Tien," the paper said. "Tsai hopes to put pressure on the mainland by tying India and Taiwan closer."

It warned that India should "be wary of Tsai's political intentions and avoid being used to confront the mainland", adding "the best way for India to develop is by participating in the Belt and Road Initiative and attract more investments from the mainland."

While India is indeed going forward with big-ticket investments from China as well including in five industrial parks, it has not endorsed the Silk Road plan given that a key segment, the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, runs through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). India has repeatedly voiced its concerns to China about the CPEC, which China has said was "purely commercial", pointing out that Beijing had itself similarly objected to Indian exploration projects in the South China Sea, citing its sovereignty.