BEIJING
\nFormer prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi stressed the importance of building a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future, as he condemned a terror attack that killed some Chinese workers in his country last week. Describing the March 26 attack that claimed the lives of five Chinese workers in Pakistan\u2019s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province as a very sad incident, Abbasi denounced the attack and said his country is committed to protecting Chinese nationals working in the country.
\nIn an interview with China Daily in Boao, Hainan province, Abbasi lauded China\u2019s help to Pakistan through the Belt and Road Initiative and the flagship China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC, project, saying he finds China\u2019s engagement and the way the Chinese system works fascinating.
\nBRI projects are \u201cbasically left to the host country to decide what to do\u201d, said Abbasi, who recently took on a new role as a member of the board of directors of the Boao Forum for Asia. He said the Chinese side\u2019s framework for the CPEC had only two requirements: projects should be economically viable, and they should be environmentally sustainable. According to him, CPEC projects have been developed at an amazing speed in the past decade. Now, the focus is shifting to high-quality BRI.
\n\u201cAs part of the community of shared future, I think it is a very, very beneficial relationship in that sense because if you really look back at the Silk Road, it was basically a trading route and it was about inclusion and integration. The same thing is happening now with the BRI,\u201d Abbasi said, referring to the Digital Silk Road project. \u201cI think the focus now shifts to technology and also things like artificial intelligence.\u201d
\n The CPEC has been a real success story, according to the Pakistani politician.\u201d He refuted the accusations of a \u201cdebt trap\u201d by some Western nations, saying the claims have been intentionally made up to harm China\u2019s reputation. Talking about the terrorist attack against Chinese workers in Pakistan, Abbasi said protecting the lives of Chinese nationals involved in various projects in Pakistan is very important. However, he noted that Pakistan\u2019s landmass spans long distances from north to south, with a difficult terrain.
\nBut he said the terror attack will not hinder the progress and success of the second phase of the CPEC. \u201cWe are hopeful of moving forward with the CPEC and I am especially looking forward to the potential growth of exports, and the CPEC can be of great help,\u201d Abbasi said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BEIJING Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi stressed the importance of building a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future, as he condemned a terror attack that killed some Chinese workers in his country last week. Describing the March 26 attack that claimed the lives of five Chinese workers in Pakistan\u2019s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":398571,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-398546","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n