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Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian speaks to the media in Beijing on July 15, 2021. PHOTO: COURTESY OF CHINESE EMBASSY IN SOUTH AFRICA
The Chinese embassy on Tuesday strongly rejected the US envoy’s claims of a so-called “debt trap” in China-Pakistan relations, calling the remarks driven by political agenda, saying Beijing’s strong cooperation with Islamabad would not be disrupted by a “rhetorical trap”.
In a statement, the embassy spokesperson responded to Pakistani media reports quoting Charge d’affaires Natalie Baker, who had raised concerns over Pakistan’s financial engagement with China, urging Islamabad to protect itself to avoid falling into any country’s “debt trap”.
The spokesperson said the US diplomat’s reference to “so-called ‘debt trap’ rhetoric” was itself a “rhetorical trap”, adding that it amounted to “playing the same old refrain and distorting the truth with an agenda”.
Citing Pakistan’s own public positions, the Chinese Embassy stressed that “Western countries and multilateral financial institutions are its largest creditors”, while “China’s financial support and practical cooperation with Pakistan have effectively helped Pakistan stabilize its finances, develop its economy and improve the livelihoods of its people.”
“Pakistan has repeatedly publicly declared that Western countries and multilateral financial institutions are its major creditors, while China’s financial support and practical cooperation with Pakistan have effectively helped Pakistan stabilize its finances, develop its economy and improve the livelihood of its people,” the statement said.
