Editor's Note: India should join China's Belt and Road Initiative as could benefit India, which does need massive infrastructure investment, India's media said. Here are the excerpts.

Indian Prime Minister visits?a local museum displaying ancient terracotta warriors and horses of the Qin Dynasty in Xi'an of Shaanxi province, the starting point of the ancient Silk Road. [Photo/CFP]

Just as India decided, on balance, to join the AIIB, it should come on board the Silk Route initiative as well. The Chinese appear to recognize that India will play a key role in the success of the project and that should give it leverage to shape it in a manner conducive to our interests.

We do need massive infrastructure investment and currently China has both surplus capital as well as excess capacity in its infrastructure industry such as steel, machinery and power.

At a time when India is threatened with marginalization in the global economy by the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership in the Asia-Pacific and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, joining together North American and European economies, the BRI may be a useful alternative to explore.

Hindustan Times, March 18, 2015

This was originally published on Hindustan Times. Click here to read the full article.

President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands at a press conference in New Delhi, India, Sept 18, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Silk Road projects announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping could benefit India's infrastructure development, Shekhar Datta a Confederation of Indian Industry board member said.

"I am not aware of how it politically affects India but it makes sense from business and economic sense as it aimed to improve infrastructure and connectivity," said Shekhar Datta, Board member of the governing council of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

While India has its own initiatives to improve its connectivity in the neighbourhood, the USD 40 billion Silk Road fund could assist India's own infrastructure development, Dutta said.

Hindustan Times, February 15, 2014

This was originally published on Hindustan Times. Click here to read the full article.