CPEC has no link with territorial disputes in region: China
China reiterated that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was an economic cooperation project and it should not be politicized as it had no connection with the existing disputes in the region.
"We have already expressed our position on many occasions on this issue and the economic corridor does not target at third parties and hopes to benefit entire region," Chinese Foreign Ministry's Spokesperson, Hua Chunying said during her regular briefing. She said that the CPEC was an economic cooperation project and it should not be politicized and added it had no connec- tion with the existing disputes in the region, including territorial disputes.
The spokesperson said that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his media interaction with porters yesterday had explained that the corridor was not aimed at third parties and hoped to benefit the entire region. She said that as an important common neighbor of China and Pakistan, Afghanistan had an urgent desire to develop economy and improve people's livelihood. "It is willing to integrate itself into the process of regional interconnection and hope to exert its geographical advantages in the CPEC and the China-Central Asia-Western Asia Economic Corridor," she added. Hua Chunying said that the three parties agreed to jointly promote wider interconnection and interoperability under the framework of the "One Belt and One Road". She said that the tripartite dialogue and cooperation were not targeted at any party other than the tripartite parties and should not be interfered with or influenced by any other country or power.
To a question, she remarked that it was very important for China, Afghanistan and Pakistan to strengthen dialogue and cooperation among them. Foreign Minister Wang Yi carried out shuttle diplomacy between Pakistan and Afghanistan and had done a lot to push both the countries to improve their relations.
One of the objectives of China to propose establishment of the tripartite dia- logue mechanism was to help both Pakistan and Afghanistan to improve their relations and achieve a goal of common development and security, she added.
Both Pakistan and Afghanistan were grateful to China for its positive efforts to promote their relations, strengthen dialogue, enhance mutual trust and carry out cooperation. The spokesperson said that during the dialogue, the three foreign ministers also conducted in-depth communication on security cooperation and counter-terrorism issues and reaffirmed their positive will to step up counter-terrorism cooperation.
They also agreed to further strengthen anti-terrorism coordination based on the consensus reached at the counter-terrorism and security consultation mechanism at the vice-ministerial level between China, Afghanistan and Pakistan cooperation, fight against all forms of terrorism.
The positive significance of the dialogue between the three foreign ministers was obvious, she added.
When asked was China's mediation role in the hot international issues a new trend in its diplomacy, she said, the 19th Congress of the CPC proposed to build a community of human destiny, stressing that China should deepen its relations with neighboring countries and promote international cooperation on the Belt and a Road, in accordance with the principle of "sincerity and friendship"