On Thursday, acting assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian affairs Alice Wells expressed criticism about CPEC and warned that it would only result in benefits for Beijing and would increase Islamabad’s economic troubles.
According to a report in Voice of America, Wells stated that the United States had offered a better model to improve Pakistan’s economy. She further questioned the fairness of CPEC projects and the loans that Islamabad had received with regard to them.
In response to Wells’s comments, China’s ambassador to Islamabad, Yao Jing stated that the American diplomat lacked accurate knowledge and relied on propaganda by western media.
He advised Wells to show evidence when making such allegations and stated that China and Pakistan were determined to ensure that CPEC would remain corruption free.
Moreover, Jing also dispelled the notion that CPEC was a ‘debt trap’, saying that Beijing did not offer or suspend loans for ‘political’ reasons.
He added that China would never ask for loan repayments as long as money was needed by Pakistan.
Jing further stated that Chinese loans were aimed at helping partner countries stabilise their economies, adding that the United States was the biggest loan taker from the world, with even China giving them credit of $3 trillion.