ISLAMABAD: September 16, 2022: Defence minister , Khawaja Asif, has said prime minister , Shahbaz Sharif , is going to visit China in October this year.
Khawaja Asif, who is currently accompanying prime minister, Shahbaz Sharif, to Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conference, claimed in his statement issued on Friday that prime minister, Shahbaz Sharif, is visiting China next month.
Prime minister, Shahbaz Shairf’s visit to Beijing is due since his coming into power in April last. Visit to China is always a top priority for any Pakistan’s prime minister after taking over charge of his office, but Shahbaz Sharif, who took over as Pakistan’s prime minister in April this year, is yet to visit Beijing
Informed sources in Islamabad confided to NEWSMAN that Pakistan and China have a number of thorny issues like payments to Chinese companies which are operating in Pakistan as independent power producers (IPPs) and differences over a formal legal status to China, Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
China is demanding from Islamabad to clear all thorny issues before Shahbaz Sharif’s visit to China . Pakistan had released Rs 50 billion to Chinese IPPs some two weeks ago to meet China’s demand. It has also disbanded CPEC authority and a new formal legal cover may be announced by Pakistan soon to protect Chinese investment in the project that could pave way for Shahbaz Shairf’s visit to China.
Though, Pakistan and China are on the face of it giving an impression of CPEC’s progress, but in practical terms , the multi-billion dollar project is stagnant for the last over four years.
Imran Khan’s government had put CPEC project on the back burner soon after coming into power. Its ministers including Murad Saeed and Fawad Chaudhary gave public statements claiming wrongdoings in CPEC’s project soon coming into power in 2018. Not only this, key ministers of PTI government lashed out at PMLN for what they called costly projects of CPEC.
China naturally took PTI government’s rants seriously and put on hold release of fund for CPEC. Slowing of CPEC project brought it literally to a standstill during the last four and half years .
China wants from Shahbaz government to take CPEC seriously. Despite issuing some verbal statements, Shahbaz government is yet to address most of the serious grievances of China and restore its confidence to get released funds for CPEC.
