New Delhi: After offering to mediate between Indian and Pakistan, China has now expressed its willingness to change the name of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to assuage India’s concerns about the project.
India has been against the CPEC on the ground that it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) – an area that is an integral part of India but is now under illegal occupation by Pakistan.
The offer was made by Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui under the pretext of not disrupting bilateral relations between India and China.
Luo argued that CPEC is for promoting economic cooperation and connectivity and that Beijing has no plans to get involved in the sovereignty and territorial disputes between India and Pakistan.
“It (CPEC) has no connections to or impact on sovereignty issues. Even we can think about renaming the CPEC. China and India have had successful experience of delinking sovereignty disputes with bilateral relations before. China is sincere in its intention to cooperate with India on the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, as it is good for both of us,” he said.
The Ambassador even denied that China has been aiding Pakistan. He said that China’s initiatives focus more on reaping its own benefits rather than supporting the stance of any other nation.
“We always put China first and we deal with problems based on their own merits,” he said.
On Sunday, Pakistan and China agreed to jointly oversee the CPEC and ensure transparency in the project as an agreement in this regard was signed between the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Beijing.
A combined initiative focusing on enhancing economic cooperation between China and Pakistan, the CPEC is being hailed to create 85,000 jobs for Pakistani youth. It is being facilitated to modernize infrastructure and transport networks in Pakistan through the creation of special economic zones and energy projects.The initial proposal was made in April 2015 during ChinesePresident Xi Jinping`s official state visit to Pakistan.
On April 20, 2015, Pakistan and China signed an agreement to commence work on the USD 46 billion agreement, with approximately USD 28 billion worth of fast-tracked projects to be developed by the end of 2018.
With PTI inputs
Source: Zee News