ISLAMABAD: The United States said on Tuesday it wanted Pakistan to succeed economically and had no issues with any country making transparent investments and following sustainable financing practices.
The statement was issued only a day after the Chinese vice premier, He Lifeng, unveiled an ambitious future plan for the multibillion-dollar corridor project implemented by the two countries during his three-day visit to Islamabad.
The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was launched to advance regional connectivity and economic integration, giving Beijing a huge stake in Pakistan’s economy.
Asked about the Chinese official’s visit to Islamabad, the US State Department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, said the American support for Pakistan’s economic success was “unwavering.”
“With respect to investments by any country, we believe good governance, long-term capacity building, and sustainable market-based approaches that allow the private sector flourish are the best paths to sustained growth and development,” he continued. “We welcome trade and investment that promotes such development and growth.”
“But we will continue, in all cases, to emphasize the need for transparency, sustainable financing practices, and preservation of national and data security to ensure mutual benefit for both Pakistan and its partners,” he added. “We have not always seen that with respect to investments by the PRC [Peoples Republic of China] in countries around the world.”
Miller said that investments which promoted transparency and responsible debt management would be viewed as “appropriate” by the administration in Washington.
Pakistani officials have openly acknowledged in recent weeks they have found it difficult to balance its relations with the US and China.
The country’s defense minister, Khawaja Asif, told Newsweek, an American publication, in a wide-ranging interview in June that Washington should avoid pushing Islamabad into situations where it is forced to make hard political or geostrategic choices.
Prior to that, Pakistan’s state minister for foreign affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar, also said something similar to another international magazine, POLITICO, while pointing out it was not in her country’s interest to take sides in the growing rivalry between Washington and Beijing.
