China has refused to further expand cooperation in energy, water management and climate change under the billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). This thing came to light on Tuesday, indicating tension in the two countries’ friendship. Meanwhile, cash-strapped Pakistan dropped its opposition to setting up a new imported coal-based power plant in Gwadar in Balochistan province. It agreed to several of China’s demands to address its concerns.
The Express Tribune newspaper released this news quoting the details of the 11th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) meeting of CPEC. The JCC is the strategic decision-making body of CPEC. Its 11th meeting was held virtually on October 27 last year on the insistence of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz Sharif-led government. However, the dotted lines of the meeting were signed almost a year later, on July 31, during the visit of Chinese Vice Prime Minister He Lifeng.
According to the news, this has led to differences between the two sides, due to which there has been a lot of delay in reaching a consensus. Pakistan’s Planning Ministry said there is a global practice of signing the details of the meetings between the two countries only after discussing and reaching an agreement.
According to the report, there are differences between the final draft that Beijing shared with Pakistan and the point-wise minutes of the meeting signed by both sides. It said China’s disagreement on expanding cooperation in energy, water management and climate change under CPEC underlines the challenges the two sides face in deepening economic ties.
