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Imran Khan is currently on his first official visit to China after taking oath as Pakistan’s Prime Minister in August. The high profile visit was partially overshadowed by the Tehreek-e-Labbayk Pakistan protests across the country over the acquittal of Aasia Bibi from the Supreme Court in a blasphemy case.
The big news from Beijing is that Chinese government has promised to ‘provide necessary assistance to Pakistan …
but more talks are needed‘. At the same time, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister told the media after PM’s meeting with his Chinese counterpart that there were no plans to ‘scale back the CPEC’.
However, the body language of the Pakistani premier in the footage released to the Chinese media officially was intriguing. It was an unfamiliar spectacle for a Pakistani Prime Minister looking weary.
But Naya Daur has received a piece of information that could well be the reason of PM’s fatigued outlook in what has traditionally been the most friendly capital for Pakistani PMs in the world.
According to well-placed sources within Chinese media,
the Chinese officials gathered all the statements of Imran Khan and his senior cabinet members about the problems with China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and showed them to him in a high profile meeting.
The Pakistani PM was then asked to be careful about such statements in future and was also told to rein in his ministers on the subject.
In the official communique issued to the media after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Yi especially mentioned that the officials on both sides should be careful about matters of significance, as reported by Chinese media.
Earlier, Imran was received at his arrival in China by the Chinese Transportation Minister – a move that was also taken as a snub by many back home.
It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistani cabinet members have repeatedly voiced their concerns about the contracts awarded to Chinese companies in the past. PM’s adviser on Commerce and Industries
Abdul Razzak Dawood had also stated in an interview with Financial Times that ‘the previous government had done a bad job at negotiating with China on CPEC’. He went on to add that Chinese companies were getting all the tax breaks while Pakistan companies were disadvantaged. “I think we should put everything on hold for a year so we can get our act together,” he added.
“Perhaps we can stretch CPEC out over another five years or so.”
CPEC is worth 62 billion dollars. It is China’s biggest investment in any country and is considered pivotal to its Belt and Road Initiative. Pakistani officials’ careless statements about some of the projects under CPEC have previously drawn attention of the Chinese officials and the recent developments also confirm that all isn’t well with the ‘all weather friend’ right now.
However, PM’s visit is expected to bridge the communication gap and with the assistance of a seasoned diplomat and politician Shah Mehmood Qureshi as his foreign minister, Imran Khan should certainly be able to address the concerns of the Chinese authorities regarding the future of CPEC.
https://www.nayadaur.tv/2018/11/imran-khans-awkward-moment-in-beijing/
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