External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that the references were “unwarranted”…reports Asian Lite News
References to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in a China-Pakistan joint statement issued on Thursday during Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Beijing has been rejected by India.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that the references were “unwarranted”.
Adding that India has consistently rejected such statements, Bagchi said that the union territories of J&K are and will remain India’s integral part.
The joint statement was issued after talks between Sharif and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Commenting on the China-Pakistan-Economic Corridor (CPEC), he said India has consistently conveyed “protests and concerns” to China and Pakistan as it includes projects in the “sovereign territory” of India.
“We resolutely reject any attempts to utilise such projects to change the status quo in that area,” the spokesperson said.
Move to launch 3 new corridors
Pakistan and China have decided to launch three new corridors besides the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The three are China-Pakistan Green Corridor (CPGC), which will focus on agricultural environment, food security and green development; the China-Pakistan Health Corridor (CPHC), which will help Pakistan get efficiency in the medical field; and the China-Pakistan Digital Corridor (CPDC), which will boost Pakistan’s IT industry, The News reported.
This was announced by Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Moinul Haq, while talking to the China Economic Net (CEN) in Beijing.
Ambassador Haque said Pakistan has a rich repertoire of talent and human resources in different fields of science and technology and IT-based science and technology have become very important for Pakistan.
“We would be an important source of help for China in terms of software development. So, we are working together to set up training centres in Pakistan for developing software in different fields of IT,” he said.
The envoy attached great significance to the new projects that are being launched with great enthusiasm, The News reported.
The sources have indicated here that the formal launching of the projects could take place during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to China next month.
He has been invited by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The schedule and relevant details for the trip are being worked out through diplomatic channels on a priority basis, the sources said.
The new corridors would become sources of strengthening Pakistan-China ties and will provide a new unshakable bond of the proximity of the two nations, they added.