Foreign minister rubbishes US claims that China will build military base in Pakistan

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi addressing a reception in home town Multan on May 05, 2019 – (PID)

Gwadar Port became formally operational on 14 November 2016, when it was inaugurated by Pakistan's Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. However, the port has yet to start commercial operation. (AN Photo by Hassam Lashkari)

A Pakistani paramilitary soldier stands guard near where the Beijing-funded megaport of Gwadar, in the southwestern province of Balochistan in Pakistan. (Reuters / File)

• FM Qureshi says report’s claims are propaganda spread by Pakistan’s enemies including India
• US says China could seek to establish overseas military bases to protect its multi billion dollar BRI investments

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Saturday rejected a Pentagon report that said China was looking to build a military base in Pakistan to protect its $62 billion infrastructure investments under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The Pentagon’s annual report to Congress on Chinese military and security developments which was released on Thursday claims that China will “probably drive military overseas” to protect its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which aims to revive the historical silk route that stretched from China to Italy and passed through Pakistan.
In response to a question asked by Arab News during a press briefing on Friday, Qureshi said the One Belt One Road was a program for economic cooperation.
“It’s a program for regional connectivity. It’s a program for development. It’s a program for poverty alleviation,” he said and declined commenting further when asked if China could maintain a military presence in Pakistan under the CPEC agreement between Islamabad and Beijing.
But during a media talk on Saturday, Qureshi rubbished the report’s claims, and said, “China is our friend playing a role in Pakistan’s economic prosperity.”
He added that news of a military base was propaganda spread by Pakistan’s enemies including India.
According to the report, “China will seek to establish additional military bases in countries with which it has a longstanding friendly relationship and similar strategic interests, such as Pakistan, and in which there is a precedent for hosting foreign militaries.”
The envisaged corridor is more than 3000 km long and will be built over the next few years consisting of highways, railways and pipelines that are expected to modernize Pakistani infrastructure and strengthen its ailing economy.
It is widely believed China’s Belt and Road Initiative includes the deployment of Chinese military installations of which currently it has only one in Djibouti.
“China’s leaders are leveraging China’s growing economic, diplomatic, and military clout to establish regional preeminence and expand the country’s international influence,” the report said.