Amid mixed reactions toward the Belt and Road Initiative, a senior Indian media executive said he remains optimistic to see enhanced India-China cooperation on the initiative.

While India is a major shareholder of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the country nevertheless has two basic concerns regarding the Belt and Road Initiative: first, maritime interests in the Indian Ocean, which is seen as India’s area of influence; and second, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which passes through Kashmir. These concerns were outlined by Narasimhan Ravi, director of The Hindu, India’s national newspaper.

“More talks and more discussions need to take place, but I’m quite optimistic, because the benefits will be tremendous,” Ravi said. “With more discussions, India-China cooperation on this can also be enhanced,” he continued.

Ravi made the remarks in an exclusive interview with People’s Daily Online on the sidelines of the 2016 Media Cooperation Forum on Belt and Road, which opened on July 26 in Beijing.

Despite a few longstanding problems, India-China relations remain strong, and the Chinese investment that accompanies the Belt and Road Initiative can help boost infrastructure in India, which is very important, Ravi noted, adding that the domestic attitudes toward foreign investment are changing, and that the old mindset of eschewing foreign investment is slowly being overcome.