New Delhi: Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari said that Chinese companies will not be permitted to take part in highway projects including through joint ventures.
“We will not give permission to joint ventures that have Chinese partners for road construction. We have taken a firm stand that if they (Chinese companies) come via joint venture in our country, we will not allow it,” Gadkari told PTI in an interview.
Previous projects where Chinese companies are already engaged will not be affected, he said.
“We have taken a decision to relax norms for our companies to ensure that they qualify in bidding in large projects. I have directed the Highways Secretary (Giridhar Aramane) and NHAI Chairman (SS Sandhu) to hold a meeting for relaxing technical and financial norms so that our companies can qualify to work,” he said.
Two days ago, Centre blocked 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, WeChat, and UC Browser on grounds they pose a security threat to the country.
These developments come amid the ongoing border tension near the Galwan valley in Eastern Ladakh.
