By China and Pakistan will continue to support one another on important issues: FO
ISLAMABAD:
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the centerpiece project of the Belt and Road Initiative, was fully agreed to be developed more quickly and to a high standard, according to the Foreign Office (FO), which stated this on Friday. Pakistan and China also agreed to continue supporting one another on their core issues (BRI). At his weekly press briefing, a FO spokesperson discussed the recently finished official visit of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to China. After Pakistan expressed its commitment to the One China policy and support on problems of Taiwan, the South China Sea, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet, when asked if this would harm bilateral relations between Pakistan and the US, he did not concur.
“I don’t believe that. These are Pakistan’s established and steadfastly held key viewpoints in respect of China’s main concerns. Pakistan has consistently stated its support for China, and we will keep doing so. I don’t believe it should affect any of our bilateral relationships with other nations, the spokesman said.
When questioned about Chinese concerns over the safety of its employees in Pakistan, the spokesperson said the issue had been given the highest importance by the Pakistani government and Pakistan continues to hold discussions with its Chinese allies on it.
At the highest levels, Pakistan’s commitment to ensuring safety and security and to taking all required measures in that regard have been emphasized to the Chinese leadership, he added.
Pakistan was already gaining from CPEC, he continued. “CPEC has been active in Pakistan for a time and has helped to revive the country’s economic growth.
“You’re aware that the first phase of CPEC concentrated on infrastructure and the lack of energy. You are aware of the second phase, which concentrated on socioeconomic growth, industrialization, and agriculture. Currently, several of the big infrastructure projects are receiving renewed attention. “CPEC is the BRI’s marquee project. It is a program that seeks socioeconomic advancement throughout the entire region, not just in Pakistan, he continued.
He emphasized that it was a lengthy undertaking. Therefore, many activities had already come to an end; others were in the works, and there would be projects in the future that would be started with everyone’s consent and understanding.
The official responded to recent claims made by a Russian senator that Pakistan was assisting Ukraine with its nuclear program, saying, “We have previously released a statement, and you may refer to it; it was a pretty clear statement. We were taken aback by such an unsubstantiated claim.
It is completely illogical and goes against the spirit of cooperation between Pakistan and Russia. We have asked the Russian side for clarity, and we are pursuing it both in Islamabad and Moscow,” he continued.
When questioned about the most recent developments in the Arshad Sharif murder probe, the spokesman stated that Pakistan and Kenya had an understanding in principle and that Pakistan will continue to get full cooperation and coordination from the Kenyan authorities on this case.
“As for specifics, I don’t think it’s acceptable for me to provide those at this time because the two-person team has already finished its work. According to the team’s terms of purpose, I believe they will report to the Ministry of Interior, which will be the appropriate governmental division to release any details, the spokesman continued.
When asked if there were any flaws in the joint statement from Pakistan and China, the spokesman responded that he did not see any cause to believe that either country’s position had changed about their respective main issues.
“I believe that China’s stance on Jammu and Kashmir, as well as its support for Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, has been constant and always very clearly stated, including in this joint statement. I can therefore promise you that the joint statement does not include any flaws of any type, he said.
The spokesman responded, “We continue to highlight this problem with the relevant diplomatic missions,” when asked to comment on the difficulty in obtaining Italian and German visas. I believe that diplomatic missions should be in charge of this. We take these steps to assist applicants for various visa categories when we are abroad, and we anticipate the same for the diplomatic corps stationed in Pakistan. I believe that our role is to make these things possible, he continued.
