Pakistan Has Shown Unanimous Support for Economic Corridor to China, Pakistani Official Says

(Yicai Global) May 9 — The construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has received unanimous support in Pakistan, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Syed Tariq Fatemi told Yicai Global.

Fatemi said he was unaware of any such national consensus on any affair in another country. The CPEC is beneficial to China and Pakistan, and can help promote regional — and even global — peace and stability, he said.

Many parties and leaders have contributed greatly to the long-standing friendship that China and Pakistan share, Fatemi said. The established bond between the countries has bred national agreement in Pakistan on relations with China, he said.

Pakistan should ensure steady progress on construction projects along the CPEC and prevent delays or disruptions caused by outside forces as on-time completion is critical to Pakistan’s economic development, said Fatemi.

The CPEC was proposed by Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang during a visit to Pakistan in May 2013. Li called for an economic corridor linking Kashgar in the northern Chinese region of Xinjiang with the Gwadar port in southern Pakistan to promote exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in transport, energy, the marine sector, and other fields.