China on Friday evaded a direct response to its reported involvement in Pakistan’s decision to declare the strategic Gilgit-Baltistan region, bordering Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), as the country’s fifth province.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship project in President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to achieve connectivity spanning continents, passes through Gilgit-Baltistan.
Asked to respond to reports that Beijing’s concerns played a hand in Islamabad’s decision to upgrade the status of the region because of the CPEC, foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying didn’t give a direct response.
“The essence of the question is Kashmir (dispute),” she said, adding the dispute was leftover from history.
Repeating China’s official stand on the dispute, she said: “It should be resolved between the two sides through dialogue and consultation. The CPEC will not affect China’s position on the relevant issue.”
Estimates have put the CPEC’s value at more than $46 billion.
India has reacted strongly to the move on Gilgit-Baltistan, saying it will not be able to hide the illegality of Pakistan’s occupation of parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
Hua’s statement was a repeat of China’s official stand on the issue, without responding to new developments taking place in the region.