Pakistan may become regional hub for trade: Yao Jing

ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of China to Pakistan Yao Jing on Monday said Pakistan possessed a huge potential to become a regional hub for trade and vast connectivity, and the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) offered such opportunities.

He also lauded the enthusiasm manifested by the Pakistani leadership and its people towards CPEC. Talking to Geo News programme ‘Jirga’ in an interview, the Chinese ambassador strongly disapproved the propaganda by certain quarters in the West about CPEC by maintaining that it offered prospects of better future for the people of the two countries and would prove beneficial for the whole region. He said that a lot of projects have been completed under CPEC, while expansion is being made on the development fronts. Terming such propaganda highly ‘unfortunate’, he said it was part of China-bashing by certain quarters having political purposes.

Yao Jing expressed his satisfaction that there was 100 per cent consensus between China and Pakistan and the two friendly countries had already outright rejected such moves. He said that CPEC was a transparent project between the two governments, and theywill effort for making it more viable. Responding to a question, he said the development of Gwadar, Karachi Port and Port Qasim offered immense opportunities and bright prospects for the wider regional connectivity.

To another question, he expressed his pleasure that Pakistan was tirelessly making efforts for peace and stability in Afghanistan, which would ultimately open trade opportunities upto landlocked Central Asian states, which were looking to expand the scope of their trade routes.

The Chinese ambassador to a query said Huawei being a private Chinese company was facing problems in the United States and the West because they considered China as a rival in the latest technology.