China’s Cultural Counsellor at the Chinese embassy in Pakistan Zhang Heqing has said that the current political situation in Pakistan will have no bearing on the relations between the two neighbouring countries and especially on the flagship China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
In a tweet, Zhang Heqing said: “We believe the overall situation of China-Pakistan cooperation & the CPEC will not be affected by the political situation in Pakistan. As Pakistan’s ironclad friend, we sincerely hope that all parties in Pakistan will remain united & work together for national development & stability.”
The Chinese envoy’s statement comes at a time when voting on a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan is under way in the National Assembly of Pakistan.
Earlier, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian had said that ties with Pakistan were “unbreakable and rock-solid”.
China had said the political crisis in Islamabad will not affect the overall cooperation between the all-weather allies as well as the projects under the $60 billion CPEC project.
When asked for his reaction to the political and constitutional crisis in Pakistan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian had told a media briefing that while the political situation may not affect Beijing’s close ties with Islamabad, hoping that parties will close ranks to stay united for the development and stability of the country.
“China always follows the principle of non-interference in other countries’ domestic affairs,” he had said.
“China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners. History has proven once again that no matter how the international landscape may evolve, and how our respective domestic situations may change, China and Pakistan relations will always stand unbreakable and rock-solid,” Zhao said.
The CPEC project aims to enhance the strategic cooperation between Beijing and Islamabad and open up new avenues of economic development for the people of Pakistan.
The CPEC aims to connect Pakistan to Central Asia via the Eurasian Land-Bridge planned under China’s “Belt and Road” initiative. The Pakistani government plans to hook up the country with Central Asia via Termiz (Uzbekistan), making Balochistan the central point of economic activities in the region. Balochistan, in general, and Gwadar, in particular, will hopefully become the linchpin of the CPEC.
