China refutes United States claims on CPEC

BEIJING: Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang on Tuesday once again refuted United States statement on China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and said Beijing will continue to work with Pakistan for the steady progress of the project.

In a series of tweets, the spokesperson said, “On US accusation on CPEC, China and Pakistan refuted it time and again. Some in US still use the same old script and do the same old plots. They don't stop though the show has become a complete disaster, and don't get off the stage even when booed by the audience.”

Zhao continued, “Major progress has been achieved in CPEC, with early harvests reaped in 22 projects. This has significantly improved local transportation infrastructure and power supply, created tens of thousands of jobs for Pakistanis.”

He added that according to the numbers released by Pakistan, debt incurred from CPEC stands at $4.9 billion which is less than 1/10 of Pakistan's total debt.

“I'm afraid US is not bad at math, but rather misguided by evil calculations. If US would like to help Pakistan, it should take concrete measures instead of paying lip service and being the spoiler,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson further added it was neither healthy nor honourable to “prevent others from doing what one won't do or to thwart others' endeavours where one cannot deliver.”

“Whatever the US says or does to sabotage our cooperation, China will work with Pakistan for steady progress in CPEC and in our all-weather strategic cooperative partnership to bring more benefits to the Pakistani people, to the region and beyond,” he added.

Earlier, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing had rejected US Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Alice Wells’ statement regarding CPEC, saying that Beijing will never force Islamabad to make timely payments of its debt, unlike the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

"If Pakistan is in need, China would never ask it to repay its loans in time," while on the other hand the International Monetary Fund, mainly governed by the West, is strict in its repayment system," said Jing.