LM NEWS 24

Pakistan, China To Launch 3 More CPEC-Like Corridors

By LokMarg 24th October 2022

In addition to the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Pakistan and China are set to start three new corridors in November, with the aim of strengthening bilateral ties.

The formal launch of the projects could take place during Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to China next month which is currently being worked out. His visit comes at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, The News International reported.

The report said that these projects, which include health and digital corridors, were announced by Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Moinul Haq while speaking to the China Economic Net (CEN) in Beijing.

“We would be an important source of help for China in terms of software development. So, we are working together to set up training centers in Pakistan for developing software in different IT fields,” said Haque.

Citing unidentified sources, the Pakistan newspaper said the new corridors would become sources of strengthening Pakistan-China ties and would provide a new unshakable bond of the proximity of the two nations.

Launched in 2015, the CPEC is a multi-billion dollar development project, with a planned network of roads, railways, and energy projects linking China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region with Pakistan’s strategic Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea.

Earlier this year, India had opposed the proposed extension of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan.

“Any such actions by any party directly infringe on India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Such activities are inherently illegal, illegitimate, and unacceptable, and will be treated accordingly by India,” the Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs V Muraleedharan said in a written response.

India’s position on CPEC has been clear and consistent. The CPEC passes through parts of the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh which are under the illegal and forcible occupation of Pakistan and hence impinges on the issue of sovereignty and territorial integrity of India.

The Indian government has said it believes that connectivity initiatives must be based on universally recognized international norms. (ANI)