Pakistan Promises Better Security for Economic Corridor with China

The Pakistani military has reaffirmed its commitment to providing security for regions along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC.

This comes as the Pakistani Army Chief General Raheel Sharif visits Beijing, where he has already met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Vice Chairman of China's Central Military Commission, Fan Changlong.

CRI's Xie Cheng has more:

Pakistan's military spokesperson Lieutenant General Asim Saleem BaJwa briefed the media on the significance of the meetings:

"The leadership reaffirmed the challenges to Pakistan are challenges to China, and Pakistan and China will work closely to implement CPEC and promote peace and stability in the region. Our Chinese friends re-suggest they will support Pakistan ensuring Pakistan sovereignty, integrity, national security and development."

The 2,400-kilometer long economic corridor under construction in Pakistan will link the western side of China to Pakistan's southwestern deep water port of Gwadar with a network of highways, railways and pipelines.

The CEPC, as a major project of the "Belt and Road" initiative, is expected to include industrial parks, energy projects, and infrastructure projects that will bring a significant number of job opportunities for the Pakistani people.

The spokesperson noted that the Economic Corridor will especially benefit the underdeveloped regions of Pakistan.

"Army chiefs here emphasized that every Pakistani has his or her obligation to participate in the development of the CPEC because this is one project which brings a lot of hope and light for bringing prosperity to Pakistan, especially to the underdeveloped regions of Pakistan. It has been agreed to move cargo physically from China to Gwadar at the end of this year. So that will happen within the year 2016."

During their meeting on Monday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said economic cooperation and security collaboration between China and Pakistan should be pushed forward "like two wheels."

He said China appreciated the strong support from Pakistan's government and military.

Raheel Sharif, for his part, says Pakistan is ready to provide security for cooperation.

Speaking at a seminar in the port city of Gwadar in southwestern Balochistan province in mid-April, the Pakistan Army Chief revealed that a 15,000-strong dedicated force is already in place under the ambit of Special Security Division for the CPEC.

That military force will provide much-needed security for the large number of Chinese personnel in Pakistan.
The spokesperson of Pakistan's military explained further:

"You know there are 12 to 13 thousand Chinese engineers and workers already in Pakistan, and we are expecting about 16 or 17 thousand more Chinese engineers and workers there. Their security, which is always a concern in Pakistan, has been very deliberately looked into. There is an integrated mechanism of state and provincial security apparatus which already exists, and additionally, a proper security division has been raised which consists of about 15,000 people, and an equally sizeable security division is being raised for the south of CPEC."

The spokesperson adds that the Pakistani army has also taken part in the construction of CPEC, building 670 kilometers of roads in Balochistan province.