FO defends CPEC after US official's criticism.

Byline: Baqir Sajjad Syed

ISLAMABAD -- The ForeAign Office (FO) on Friday said that China-Pakistan EconoAmic Corridor (CPEC) was transparently contributing to national development and issues in the execution of the project were bilaterally addressed by Beijing and Islamabad through existing mechanisms.

The statement was issued after senior US diplomat for South and Central Asia AmbAassador Alice Wells repAeated her criticism of China's Belt and Road IniAtiative (BRI) and its flagship CPEC project. The FO statement, however, did not say that it was a rejoinder to what Amb Wells said at her online media briefing about CPEC.

'The economic development and long-term prosperity of the people is our government's top priority. The CPEC, a flagship project of BRI, is a transformational project contributing positively and transparently to Pakistan's national development,' the FO said.

'Pakistan believes that regional economic connectivity will provide a critical stimulus for creating broad-based growth across the region,' it added.

The FO said that CPEC projects had helped PakisAtan address energy shortages and develop infrastructure, industrial base and create jobs.

At her media briefing, Amb Wells said that the US was concerned about CPEC projects because of 'lack of transparency', and the 'unfair rates' of profits guaranteed to the Chinese firms that were executing these projects.

She said the US...

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