Recently, China reportedly gave tacit approval to Pakistan’s decision to dissolve the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority amid reports of a widening rift between the once-close allies over the project’s sluggish progress and Islamabad’s failure to offer reliable security to the hundreds of Chinese nationals working on a variety of projects.
Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, responded in response to a question regarding Pakistan’s intention to dissolve the CPEC Authority, an official body established by the former Imran Khan administration, by saying that China has taken notice of the pertinent facts.
Why in news?
According to recent media reports from Pakistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has decided to dissolve the CPEC Authority, but the decision is contingent upon receiving China’s approval.
China is said to have already spent about USD 28 billion on a number of CPEC projects, but reportedly their progress has been slowed by security concerns and the Pakistani government’s tardy implementation of those projects.
The flagship project of China’s ambitious multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative, CPEC was launched in 2015 and connects Gwadar Port in Pakistan’s Balochistan with China’s Xinjiang province (BRI). India was against the CPEC since it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
According to recent reports, tensions are rising between the all-weather allies as China is increasingly criticizing Pakistan for failing to defend hundreds of Chinese employees who were subjected to frequent attacks by militant groups.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which opposed Chinese investments in Balochistan, carried out a suicide bombing in Karachi University in April that resulted in the deaths of three Chinese.
