On Sunday, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), claimed that China had expressed concerns regarding Pakistan’s economic instability. According to Rehman, during visits by Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to China in June, Chinese officials reportedly urged Pakistan to address its economic issues before seeking investment. Rehman also criticized PM Shehbaz’s visit to China, stating that it was unsuccessful. However, the actual situation on the ground appears to be quite different.
International and local coverage of the visit by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir presents a different perspective. A report by AP on June 7 highlighted that Beijing expressed a willingness to collaborate with Islamabad to enhance an economic corridor between the two countries. According to the report, China’s leader Xi Jinping assured Prime Minister Sharif of this commitment during his visit.
China’s CGTN reported that following their talks, Pakistan and China signed several bilateral cooperation agreements in various fields, including transportation, industry, agriculture, market regulation, livelihoods, capacity-building, and film and television.
China’s news agency Xinhua reported that the China-aided New Gwadar International Airport in Pakistan, part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has commenced a five-day flight test as of Tuesday. According to the airport’s project management team, this marks the final stages of the project’s completion.
Arab News reported in June that Pakistan and China signed 32 memorandums of agreement across various sectors, including IT, textiles, leather and footwear, minerals, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture and food processing. This information was provided in a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
This evidence suggests that rather than expressing concerns and placing conditions, China has been actively supporting and investing in various development projects in Pakistan, indicating a positive and collaborative relationship.
