Describing its ties with Pakistan as “unbroken and strong”, China said on Wednesday that the escalating political crisis in Islamabad will not affect overall cooperation on the $60 billion CPEC projects with the all-time ally. Keeping a cautious stance, China is keeping a close watch on the rapidly changing political developments in Pakistan recently.
Parliament has been dissolved in Pakistan over allegations of American conspiracy behind the no-confidence motion of opposition parties against Prime Minister Imran Khan. Opposition parties have moved the Supreme Court for a decision on the legality of the dissolution of Parliament and the announcement of fresh elections. When asked about the response to the political and constitutional crisis in Pakistan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a press conference that the political situation cannot affect Beijing’s close ties with Islamabad. At the same time, he expressed hope that all the parties will remain united to ensure the development and stability of the country.
He said, “China has always adhered to the principle of not interfering in the internal affairs of other countries.” Lijian said, “China and Pakistan are all-time strategic partners. History has once again proved that no matter what the international scenario and the domestic situation may change, the relations between China and Pakistan will always remain unbroken and strong.
“We believe that overall China-Pakistan cooperation and the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will not be affected by the political situation in Pakistan,” he said. As a close friend of Pakistan, we hope that all parties in the country will remain united and jointly maintain national development and stability.
China is building several infrastructure projects under the $60 billion CPEC linking Pakistan’s Gwadar port in Balochistan province with China’s Xinjiang. India has protested with China over CPEC, a flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).