China snubs UN body’s concerns on CPEC

BEIJING: China has dismissed United Nations concerns on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Chinese foreign ministry said.

The report by UN’s Economic and Social Commission for Asia-Pacific (ESCAP), had warned that the CPEC could create tension with India and fuel political instability in the region.

Describing the United Nations as a “partner” in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Beijing on Thursday dismissed the report, saying this report was not specifically on the CPEC and had evaluated the BRI in a very positive way.

The report, issued on Tuesday, said the CPEC could lead to “further political instability” in the region and “create geo-political tension with India”.

India skipped the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing last week.

Dismissing the UN concerns, foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said, “As far as I have learned, the ESCAP did not issue any specific report on the BRI. As for CPEC passing through the Azad Jammu and Kashmir, I have said this many times, it (CPEC) is an economic initiative and it will not affect our position on the Kashmir issue.”