BEIJING: After Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi indirectly criticised the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), China clarified on Wednesday that the project did not target any “third party” and would not change its stance on the Kashmir issue,
Modi had criticized the project in Delhi at an inauguration yesterday saying “Only by respecting the sovereignty of countries involved, can regional connectivity corridors fulfill their promise and avoid differences and discord.”
In a routine press briefing, China’s foreign ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said “The CPEC is a new framework for long-term cooperation and development in various fields built up by China and Pakistan, which will help promote regional connectivity and trade and economic cooperation as well as regional peace, stability and development.”
Modi had previously personally expressed his reservations regarding CPEC to Chinese President Xi Jinping, but China had paid him little attention.
