Senate panel passes resolution against 'unwarranted' US statement on CPEC

Resolution rejects the statement as unacceptable interference in Pakistan’s sovereign right to exercise policy choices

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs passed a unanimous resolution against the “uncalled for, unwarranted and unprecedented” statement of US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Ambassador Alice Wells on CPEC and Pakistan-China relations.

The resolution rejected the statement as unacceptable interference in “Pakistan’s sovereign right to exercise policy choices that best protect and promote its national interests”.

A heated debate was generated last week, after Wells, speaking at Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, said Pakistan faced long-term economic damage with little return if China keeps pursuing its giant infrastructure push.

US takes step back as CPEC debate still rages

Hours after her speech in Washington, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing, gave a point-by-point reply to Wells assertions, stressing that the CPEC was win-win cooperation for the benefit of the two countries.

And on Saturday, a day after a rare public slugfest between top Chinese and American diplomats, Planning Minister Asad Umar jumped into the fray, brushing aside US concerns as “wrong analysis” and called CPEC a “blessing” for Pakistan.

“The Senate Foreign Affairs Committee feels that casting aspersions, promoting fiction and presenting a biased perspective on CPEC, which is already a success story, only shows the extent to which certain quarters can go in their obsession of ‘countering’ China,” the committee said in a statement.

The committee also urged the government to make it clear in unequivocal terms that Pakistan will not tolerate any dictation from any country that seeks to undermine Pakistan-China relations, which are not only a factor for stability in the region but also are a pillar of Pakistan’s foreign policy.