NEW DELHI: The European Parliament has for the first time come down heavily on Chinese funded infrastructure projects as well as deployment of PLA troops in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), asserting that such moves by Beijing is ecologically damaging and can disturb the stability of the region. In a conference held in Strasbourg on Wednesday, senior MPs of European Parliament noted that Chinese infra projects have created resentment among locals in the Gilgit Baltistan area, people familiar with the deliberations informed ET. These views by EU MPs would come as a shot in the arm for Delhi that has been protesting against Chinese projects as well as their troops in PoK, a territory considered part of India. India had launched formal protests in the past with both Beijing and Islamabad. At the conference, Ryszard Czarnecki, Vice President European Parliament, spoke of how China is engaged in construction in PoK and Gilgit Baltistan ranging from dams, highways and ports. He further claimed that “there’s a lot of resentment among locals in the region over the negative environmental impact and the utter disregard for environmental safety norms by the Chinese infrastructure developers”. It may be noted that the Chinese projects in PoK are part of China-Pakistan-Economic-Corridor that stretches to Gwadar Port in Baluchistan under Beijing’s One Belt One Road Strategy. While the Modi government has boosted ties with key European nations, relationship with the EU has not gained much momentum. The favourable voices by European MPs will come as a breather for India. Echoing India’s concerns, member of the Parliament Alberto Cirio stated that China has increased its military presence in PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan area under the pretext of ensuring safety of their workers. He claimed that the Chinese army has started to create a rift among the Shia and Sunnis in the region, which is causing a direct threat to the region, and not only the locals.