Xi Jinping calls for ‘solid protection’ for Chinese personnel working on CPEC projects in Pakan as he meets Shehbaz Sharif

President Xi Jinping on Friday called on Pakan to provide “solid protection” for hundreds of Chinese working on the CPEC projects in the country and build stronger synergy between the development of strategies of the all-weather allies as he met Prime Miner Shehbaz Sharif in the horic Uzbek city.
Xi and Sharif met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Summit in Samarkand during which the two countries signed documents on cooperation in railway, e-commerce and other areas, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Details of the agreements were not disclosed.
“China hopes that Pakan will provide solid protection for the security of Chinese citizens and institutions in Pakan as well as the lawful rights and interests of Chinese businesses,” Xi told Sharif, airing Beijing’s concern over recurring terror attacks on the Chinese workers.
China has deployed hundreds of its personnel in a host of projects of the USD 60 billion China Pakan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakan.
Recent reports said trouble is brewing between the all-weather friends with China increasingly getting critical of Pakan’s failure in protecting Chinese workers who came under periodic attacks from the militant groups.
In April, three Chinese were killed in a suicide bombing in Karachi University carried out the separat Baloch Liberation Army, which is opposed to China’s investments in Balochan accusing China and Pakan of exploitation of the resource-rich province.
Some of the other attacks were also attributed to radical Islamic militant outfits in Pakan.
With recurring attacks, China is reportedly pressing Pakan to permit the Chinese agencies to provide security for their personnel which, according to the media reports, Islamabad is resing as it meant boots on the ground for China’s armed forces.
China is also concerned over the acute financial crisis faced Pakan, prompting Beijing to step in periodically to bail out Islamabad with the induction of foreign exchange loans.
According to Pakani media reports, China is also concerned about the slow pace of progress of the CPEC projects. Chinese investors were also reportedly irked Islamabad’s failure to honour its contractual obligations under the CPEC framework.
The CPEC is showcased China as the flagship project of Xi’s multibillion Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). India has protested to China over the CPEC as it is being laid through the Pakan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Pakan has recently decided to scrap the CPEC Authority created the previous Imran Khan government over the slow pace of the projects.
Xi stressed that the two sides must continue to firmly support each other, foster stronger synergy between their development strategies, and harness the role of the Joint Cooperation Committee of the CPEC to ensure smooth construction and operation of major projects.
It is important to expand cooperation in such areas as industry, agriculture, science, technology and social welfare to create new impetus for the CPEC’s development, he said.
Highlighting the close ties between China and Pakan, Xi said the two countries have all along stood with each other through thick and thin. No matter how the international situation evolves, China and Pakan are always each other’s trustworthy strategic partners, he said.
He praised Pakan for backing his new initiatives like the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Global Security Initiative (GSI) and said China will work with Pakan to promote the implementation of these two initiatives.
He also said the two sides need to enhance communication and collaboration within the United Nations, the SCO and other multilateral platforms to voice the developing countries’ rightful opposition to bloc confrontation and commitment to multilateralism.
For his part, Sharif expressed appreciation to the Chinese side for its timely and valuable support as Pakan has been affected the recent serious flooding.
Pakan will make its best efforts to protect the security of Chinese citizens and institutions in Pakan, continue its active participation in the Belt and Road cooperation and make the CPEC a model of mutually beneficial cooperation, he said.
Sharif praised Xi’s leadership, saying the Chinese President is a leader of strategic foresight and under his strong leadership China has secured great achievements in its development and made important contributions to peace and development in the region and the wider world.
The Pakani people hold President Xi in a high esteem and view China as an eternal, great friend of Pakan, Sharif added.
He also said Pakan wishes the upcoming 20th National Congress of the ruling Commun Party of China a full success.
The Congress, which is to meet on October 16, is widely expected to endorse an unprecedented 3rd term for Xi. All his predecessors retired after two five-year terms.
In a veiled criticism against the US moves backing independence of Taiwan, which China considers as part of its mainland, Sharif said Pakan is firmly committed to the ‘one-China’ policy.
Pakan firmly supports China’s position on issues concerning its core interests including Taiwan, Xinjiang and Hong Kong, he said, adding that Pakan is resolutely opposed to the attempt of certain forces to undermine China’s sovereignty and to interfere in its internal affairs.
The Pakan-China friendship is unbreakable and unparalleled, Sharif said, adding that Pakan will work with China to take their bilateral relationship to a new height.