BEIJING: The Pakistani government and army have been providing strict security protection to the Chinese projects, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday.
“We have worked in Pakistan for a long time. Based on my understanding, the Pakistani government and military there have been providing strict security protection for the Chinese projects,” he said during his regular briefing.
The spokesperson said that China and Pakistan had close communication and coordination over security matters.
Zhao Lijian said that he was not aware of the media reports regarding use of bullet-proof vehicles for all outdoor movement of the Chinese nationals working on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.
Friday, Pakistan’s Foreign Office had reiterated that the government gives the highest level of priority to safety and security of Chinese personnel and projects, and the assurance has been communicated to the Chinese leadership at the highest level.
Speaking at his weekly media briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar said that the safety and security of Chinese personnel, programmes and projects have been a matter that has been accorded the highest level of priority by the government of Pakistan.
“We continue to have discussions with our Chinese friends on this. At the highest levels the assurances have been communicated to the Chinese leadership regarding Pakistan’s commitment to ensure the safety and security and to take all necessary measures in that regard,” he added.
During his meetings with the Chinese leadership in the recent visit, he added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed the government’s commitment to high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and highlighted the salience of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) for Pakistan’s economic and social development.
Various projects under CPEC including ML-1, Karachi Circular Railway (KCR), projects of the Gwadar port and free zone, cooperation in the areas of agriculture, mining, IT and socioeconomic development were also discussed, he added.
He said that CPEC has been there on the ground for quite a while and it has contributed to rejuvenating Pakistan’s economic development. –Agencies
