China is not at all "jealous" of the historic Chabahar port deal between India and Iran, a Chinese state-run newspaper Global Times said on Sunday.

The Chabahar port deal was signed earlier this week during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Iran. The deal was considered crucial for India to break away from China's encirclement or its much talked about "string of pearls" strategy.  The deal also gives India a much-needed trade access to Central Asia, bypassing its arch rival Pakistan.     

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"It is clear that the improvement of infrastructure in Central Asia will also provide opportunities for Chinese multinational corporations, which hope to find potential overseas markets in the region." Global Times said in its article. "There is no reason for jealousy in China about a milestone deal signed between India and Iran."          

However, several reports in Indian media earlier last week completely contradicted Global Times article. Indian media claimed that China had tried to sabotage the Chabahar deal, and Beijing was almost successful in its pursuit.

There were reports in India that a Chinese consortium had visited the Chabahar free trade zone and expressed a desire to develop a port and industrial town there. The timing of this visit was crucial as it came just ahead of Chinese President's Xi Jinping's visit to Iran in January.

Indian media further claimed that officials from the Chinese consortium had also visited Chabahar in April, just a month before the Indian Prime Minister's visit to Iran.

Indian analysts claim that had China been successful in snatching the Chabahar port project from India, then it would have been a huge boost to Beijing's goal to encircle India. Analysts say that China has already taken a step in that direction as it is currently building huge ports in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

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