Pakistan reiterates commitment to One-China Policy

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday reiterated its foreign policy on China and reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to its foundational principle of the One-China Policy, that, it said, was “a consistent cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy, which has remained unchanged”.

The reaffirmation was raised in a statement by the spokesperson at the Foreign Office, in which he categorically rejected what he said were ‘media speculations’, regarding baseless and unfounded allegations which were aimed to target Pakistan-China friendship.

However, he did not clarify which specific ‘media speculations’ he was referring to. Meanwhile, China on Monday, specifically in a statement from its embassy in Islamabad, in a strong rebuttal, reacted to a report and named ‘The Guardian’ newspaper’s report on CPEC and Balochistan, published on January 25, rubbishing it as “completely untrue”.

“China is Pakistan’s all-weather strategic partner. This relationship is characterised by mutual trust, shared values, support on issues of core concern and a commitment to regional and global stability,” said the spokesperson at the Foreign Office.

Officials, when asked by The News about Monday’s rebuttal by the Foreign Office, said it was related to two media reports whose aim was nothing but crude attempts to target Pakistan’s bilateral relations with China.

The first that it termed ‘media speculation’ was a report published on Sunday by ‘The Guardian’ newspaper, titled, “What went wrong with ‘Pakistan’s Dubai’? – inside the Chinese initiative that is promoting terror attacks”.

It carries an ‘interview’ with Wang Shengjie, China’s political secretary to Pakistan, who has allegedly expressed serious concerns about CPEC’s multi-billion investment in Pakistan. As a rule worldwide in embassies, no junior diplomat can speak on record to the media without approval from the top.

The second ‘media speculation’ that the FO spokesperson alluded to were reports about Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi, who allegedly met representatives of an anti-China group, based in New York.

Earlier, Mohsin Naqvi, though belatedly, had come on camera to deny these allegations saying they were ‘propaganda’, and confirmed that he never attended such “anti-Chinese state events”, nor he would accept such invites.

The issue had also been clarified last Thursday by the spokesperson at the weekly media briefing, who said that the interior minister’s visit to Washington during the oath-taking ceremony of President Donald Trump had not been processed through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

To a specific query about an event that Naqvi allegedly attended, which was sponsored by a new entity, the Federal State of China, amongst other sponsors, the spokesperson responded, “As far as Pakistan is concerned, it remains a core principle of our foreign policy to support One China. There’s One China, and this principle enjoys unwavering support of Pakistan.”

Meanwhile, the Chinese embassy in Islamabad Monday strongly refuted the story in ‘The Guardian’ newspaper quoting China’s political secretary to Islamabad, Wang Shengjie, speaking about security challenges in Pakistan.

“We have noted that the recent article in ‘The Guardian’, allegedly quoted the remarks of a Chinese diplomat, which is completely untrue. The rhetoric and wording imposed is obviously not credible, lacking the basic understanding of China’s position. The report violated “professional ethics and breaches basic respect for the common understanding”, said the Chinese statement.

“China has always supported the construction of Gwadar Port and development of Balochistan. In March last year, we provided $100,000 in emergency cash assistance for disaster relief work in Balochistan,” the statement said.

Setting the record straight, the embassy added that in May, China transported 10,000 sets of solar lighting equipment to be distributed in Balochistan and in June, it handed over the Gwadar China-Pakistan Friendship Hospital and Gwadar desalination plant.

Listing the continued cooperation in Balochistan, the embassy said, “In October, the new Gwadar International Airport was successfully completed. In November, we organised delegations from all walks of life in Gwadar to visit China. In December, outstanding Pakistani staff of the CPEC project, including those in Balochistan were awarded.”

The embassy said it would soon award “Chinese Ambassador Scholarships” to students in Balochistan University, Sardar Bahadur Khan University and Gwadar University.

“Those tangible achievements represent China’s determination and confidence for the development of Gwadar and Balochistan,” the embassy concluded. “We sincerely hope that China-Pakistan practical cooperation and livelihood projects can better benefit the local people,” the Chinese clarification added.

Meanwhile, in an unrelated statement, the Foreign Office condemned the attack on a Saudi Hospital in Al-Fareesh, Sudan. “The attack leading to unfortunate deaths reportedly of seventy people clearly violates international law and puts innocent civilians at grave risk. Pakistan extends its deepest sympathies to the victims and their families,” said the spokesperson.

He pointed out that attack underscores the urgent need for upholding the sanctity of healthcare facilities and adherence to the principles of international humanitarian law.

“Pakistan believes that the conflict can only be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. We express our full support for the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sudan,” the statement underlined.