China defends contentious CPEC, says it’s financial initiative and has not affected its stand on Kashmir concern

China on Monday once more defended its controversial USD 60 billion CPEC challenge with Pakistan, disregarding India’s protests as it’s being laid by means of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, saying it’s an financial initiative and has not affected its principled stand on the Kashmir concern.
Leaders of China and Pakistan have praised the progress of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in latest days as the 2 shut allies celebrated the institution of 70 years of their diplomatic relations.
India has protested to China over the CPEC, the flagship challenge of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), because it traverses by means of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The large infrastructure challenge connects China’s Xinjiang province with Gwadar port in Pakistan’s Balochistan province.
China has been defending the CPEC, saying it’s an financial challenge not geared toward any third nation.

Answering questions on the CPEC at a media briefing on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian mentioned that the CPEC as one of many pioneering tasks underneath the BRI has made necessary and main progress in infrastructure, power, ports and industrial parks.
He mentioned the Belt and Road Initiative is an open worldwide financial cooperation initiative with targets of enhancing regional connectivity and reaching frequent improvement.
“We are also extending the CPEC to regional countries, including Afghanistan. This will not only boost faster economic development in Pakistan, but also regional connectivity,” he mentioned.
Asked how China sees regional prosperity being furthered by the CPEC in view of India’s place that it passes by means of Indian territory illegally occupied by Pakistan, Zhao mentioned the challenge has not affected China’s principled place on Kashmir.

“China has acknowledged its principled place on Kashmir many instances. The CPEC is an financial initiative that targets no third nation. It isn’t about territorial disputes and doesn’t have an effect on our principled place on the difficulty of Kashmir, he mentioned.
On the CPEC’s extension to Afghanistan, he mentioned, “on third party participation in the CPEC, China is having discussions with third parties, including Afghanistan”.
“The two sides are having consultations by means of diplomatic channels. We discover that Afghanistan imports and exports items by means of Gwadar and Karachi ports. High-speed highways are additionally being prolonged to Afghanistan, he added.

In a message to his Pakistani counterpart Arif Alvi on Friday on the seventieth anniversary of the institution of the China-Pakistan diplomatic relations, President Xi Jinping mentioned the CPEC has achieved exceptional outcomes.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan mentioned at a high-level assembly in Islamabad that the CPEC will convey financial progress not solely to Pakistan however the complete area.