China-pakistan economic corridor, Project

Washington [US], Mar 21 : Amid the coronavirus outbreak, a leading Washington DC-based activist from Gilgit Baltistan has called on the international community to tell China to permanently discontinue mega projects like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as they have become "conduits for pandemics and not prosperity".Senge H. Sering, Director of Washington DC-based Institute of Gilgit-Baltistan Studies said, "The international community should tell China to permanently discontinue mega projects like Belt and Road and CPEC as they have become conduits of pandemics and not prosperity", spreading the COVID-19 Virus to all the countries which were in the footprint of these two mega projects.The coronavirus pandemic which started in China and has infected thousands of people around the world and has brought China and most of the world to a standstill.The pandemic has affected China's trillion-dollar Belt and Road initiative (BRI) as China's neighbours have halted the cross-border movement of goods and people."Like others, the people of Gilgit-Baltistan feel vulnerable due to activities on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Taking precautions, the Chinese government has placed BRI-related engineers and workers in house-quarantine, especially those who had returned to China for the New Year holiday", said Senge.He added, "Similarly, CPEC-related engineers and workers have been asked to prolong their holidays till further orders."CPEC is one of the largest foreign investments in Pakistan and involves thousands of Chinese personnel spread over all four provinces and Gilgit-Baltistan. It is supposed to link China's Xinjiang with Pakist and Iran ports through a network of railways and highways.The project also includes placing fibre optic cable and oil and gas pipelines to help transport Middle Eastern energy resources to China.Senge said, "Similar reports are emerging from Bangladesh and Tajikistan. Kazakhstan has shut down the cross-border free trade zone, cancelled issuance of visas to Chinese nationals and suspended all forms of travel and transportation with eastern China."Countries like Iran and Italy which had invited Chinese nationals to establish production units and other businesses in their cities are the worst hit.Roughly nine out of ten of over 18,000 cases of COVID-19 across the Middle East are from Iran. For the first time since Khomeini's Revolution in 1979, Iran has applied for a USD 5 billion loan with the International Monetary Fund, as officials suggest thousands of Irans could die due to lack of medical support.Iran's President has also asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India for help in this regard. The number of Pakists returning from Iran and tested positive for coronavirus are alarmingly high and many of them belong to Gilgit-Baltistan.Senge said, "China is accused of criminal negligence as authorities knew about the COVID-19 outbreak in November of 2019 but decided to hide and lie about it. Further, authorities jailed the whistleblowers who tried to release information about COVID-19 and warn the outside world. While refusing to seek international assistance, Chinese rulers also refused to lockdown its cities and towns as well as the production units and continued cross-border movement."( With inputs from ANI )

China-Pakistan Economic CorridorFOLLOW

China-pakistan economic corridor, Latest News

Pakistan has requested China for ease in payment obligations of over $30 billion worth of about 12,000-megawatt power projects under the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to minimise its financial and economic difficulties, ...

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is making steady progress, and its scope will be further enhanced in the second phase, a top official said here. ...

Experts believe that amid a health crisis triggered by the rapidly spreading coronavirus, it is more important to focus on containing the infection rather than continuing with the development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which passe ...

Fearing an outbreak of COVID-19 in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Gilgit Baltistan, the local authorities and residents have demanded strict restrictions for any traffic movement from Pakistan into the region. ...

China's much-publicised China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative has a dark future as nations are blaming these projects and it's Chinese manpower for having contributed to the spread of coronavirus. ...

Political leaders from Gilgit Baltistan have called for an immediate end to China's One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative which they termed as the road on which COVID-19 virus travelled to destroy not only Gilgit but large parts of the world. ...

Kashmiri leaders from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Gilgit Baltistan, who are now living in exile, have strongly supported Prime Minister Narender Modi's leadership in India's fight against COVID-19. ...

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, a leading Washington DC-based activist from Gilgit Baltistan has called on the international community to tell China to permanently discontinue mega projects like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the China Pakista ...