ISLAMABAD: China’s top diplomat to Pakistan on Friday rejected a statement by a US official cautioning the Pakistani government that energy and infrastructure projects with Beijing would entangle the South Asian nation in a web of loans and ultimately cripple its economy.
China launched the Belt and Road initiative in 2013, and according to data from Refinitiv, the total value of projects in the scheme is at $3.67 trillion, spanning countries in Asia, Europe, Africa, Oceania and South America.
In Pakistan, Beijing has pledged about $60 billion for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
But in recent months, the flagship BRI initiative championed by Chinese President Xi Jinping has become mired in controversy, with some partner nations bemoaning the high cost of projects and western governments seeing it as a means to spread Chinese influence abroad and saddle poor countries with unsustainable debt.
Addressing participants of the 5th China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Media Forum, Ambassador Yao Jing recent comments by US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Alice G. Wells, calling them “a kind of propaganda and incitement.”
“Have you found any occasion when the Chinese government came asking you to pay back its money?” Yao said. “China will never ask for this kind of repayment as long as you are in need.”
Wells told an audience at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars on Thursday that CPEC would only profit Beijing and the United States offered a better model.
“It’s clear, or it needs to be clear, that CPEC is not about aid,” said the US official, adding that the multibillion-dollar initiative was driven by non-concessionary loans and primarily relied “on Chinese workers and supplies, even amid rising unemployment in Pakistan.”
The corridor “is going to take a growing toll on the Pakistan economy, especially when the bulk of payments start to come due in the next four to six years,” she added.
In response, Yao, flanked by notable Pakistani and Chinese panelists, said Pakistan’s “biggest creditor” was “the West, not China.”
“The United States is the biggest loan taker in the world. Even China has given them credit of $3 trillion. They are extending aid to other countries, but I would like to ask them why they have suspended their assistance [to Pakistan],” the Chinese ambassador said.
Chinese envoy calls US CPEC warning ‘propaganda and incitement’
Chinese envoy calls US CPEC warning ‘propaganda and incitement’
- Yao was responding to comments by US diplomat Alice G. Wells that CPEC would straddle Pakistan in debt, cripple economy
- “Have you found any occasion when Chinese government came asking you to pay back its money?” envoy asks Pakistani audience
Pakistan, Oman navies discuss maritime security, ink agreement to share shipping data
- Visiting Oman royal navy commander calls on Pakistan Naval Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf in Islamabad
- White shipping agreement refers to exchange of prior information on movement of commercial ships
ISLAMABAD: The naval commanders of Pakistan and Oman discussed regional maritime security on Wednesday and signed an agreement to share shipping information with each other, the Pakistan Navy said in a statement.
The press release followed a meeting between Pakistan Naval Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf and the visiting Oman Royal Navy Commander Rear Admiral Saif Bin Nasser Bin Mohsin Al Rahbi at Naval Headquarters in Islamabad.
Both navies maintain close professional relations, reflected in expert-level staff talks, joint training, bilateral exercises, and participation in multilateral exercises between the Pakistan Navy and the Royal Navy of Oman.
“During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, regional maritime security and bilateral naval cooperation were discussed,” the Pakistan Navy said.
The MoU was signed by both sides at a ceremony at the Naval Headquarters, the navy’s media wing confirmed.
“The MoU is aimed at establishing of guidelines and procedures for information sharing in order to enhance mutual awareness of white shipping,” the Pakistan Navy said in a statement.
White shipping agreement refers to the exchange of prior information on the movement and identity of commercial non-military merchant vessels.
Information regarding the identity of vessels helps countries tackle potential threats from sea routes. This particularly helps in the development of a proper regional maritime domain awareness
The statement said Al Rahbi lauded Pakistan Navy’s professionalism and acknowledged its ongoing contributions to maritime security and regional stability.
Pakistan and Oman share geographical proximity and common maritime boundaries. Bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries span a wide range of areas, including economic cooperation, people-to-people contacts and strong defense ties.
In December, a Royal Navy flotilla from Oman visited Karachi to take part in the annual bilateral Thamar Al Tayyib (TAT) 2025 exercise.
Pakistan Navy and the Royal Navy of Oman have been conducting the TAT series of exercises regularly since 1980.
