Islamabad on Thursday rubbished claims that it reached a secret understanding with Beijing to allow China to establish a naval base in Gwadar port.
"This speculation is completely unfounded and we reject it. There is absolutely no basis for these speculations. As we have said in the past, Pakistan has no plans to offer bases to a foreign government or military directed against any other country," said Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch here at the weekly briefing.
She was responding to the latest report carried by an American website claiming that Pakistan had agreed to let China set up a naval base in Gwadar port. The report claimed it obtained secret documents about the alleged plan between Pakistan and China. It criticized the Biden administration for letting America’s main adversary, China, get a foothold in the region.
Chinese diplomatic sources also strongly rebutted these claims, saying the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) had no hidden purpose. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) 's only purpose is economic, and claims about its strategic designs are completely false, sources added.
Ever since Pakistan and China entered into a multibillion-dollar CPEC deal in 2013, western countries and their media outlets have been repeatedly making claims about the hidden designs of China. They often claim that China wants to have a military presence in Gwadar, under the garb of CPEC, to advance its strategic objectives.
Pakistan and China have repeatedly denied such claims and invited other countries to be part of the CPEC.
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