ISLAMABAD: Senate Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday unanimously rejected interference of the United States in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), terming it unacceptable.
The meeting of the committee was held with Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed in the chair in Islamabad.
The Senate Foreign Affairs Committee in a resolution strongly urged the government to make it clear in unequivocal terms that Pakistan would not tolerate any dictation from any country that sought to undermine time-tested Pakistan-China relations.
Also Read: Alice Wells’ remarks mere repetition of old slanders against China: spokesman
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi briefed the meeting on Kashmir, Kartarpur Corridor and consultation with opposition on formulation of Kashmir strategy.
On Nov 26, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang had said US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Alice Wells’ remarks were a mere repetition of old slanders against China, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) like those chanted by some others in the US.
Geng Shuang had said while responding to a question, during a regular press briefing in Beijing, regarding Wells accusation that the multi-billion project would only increase debt burden on Pakistan. She had also said that the American mode of economic cooperation was better than China’s.
The spokesperson had said that the Chinese ambassador to Pakistan, and Pakistan’s foreign minister, federal minister for planning and development, speaker of the national assembly, and chairman of the senate foreign affairs committee had already responded to the criticism and rejected her claim.
“China and Pakistan have clarified and refuted such smears time and again. However, some in the US still use the same old script. They don’t stop though the show has become a complete disaster, and they don’t get off the stage even when booed by the audience,” he had said.
He had said major progress had been achieved on the CPEC projects during the last five years with early harvests reaped in at least 22 projects.
