Killing of two Chinese wont impact China-Pakistan ‘Iron brotherties: Global Times

BEIJING, June 13 (APP): After an extremist organization claimed it had
killed the two Chinese citizens it kidnapped in Pakistan last week, speculation has been swirling among some media outlets that the China-Pakistan bilateral relationship, in particular the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the Belt and Road initiative, would be affected. They are evidently over thinking the issue.
The atrocity committed by the extremists is appalling. But it cannot
drive a wedge between China and Pakistan, nor will the construction of the CPEC be disrupted.
In fact, it’s doubtful whether the extremist organization targeted the
CPEC this time. The two hostages killed were not staff related to the project, Global Times said in its editorial here on Tuesday.
The China-Pakistan bilateral relationship is regarded as a model of
relations between countries with different social systems. The Chinese public considers Pakistan as China’s “iron brother.” Pakistan has made great efforts in protecting the CPEC. It has dispatched approximately 15,000 security personnel to protect the Chinese engineers, the number of the former exceeding that of the latter. This is known to the Chinese public.
Balochistan, where the two Chinese hostages were killed, is an area
where many Belt and Road projects are located. As for the security loopholes, we believe the Chinese and Pakistani governments will put forward more detailed plans to protect Chinese nationals working in Pakistan. The progress of the CPEC won’t be slowed down because of the complex security situation.
So far, no political forces in Pakistan have openly boycotted the CPEC,
instead, various regions compete to join the project. There is generally a favorable political and public opinion environment toward the project. The killings of the two hostages are not a signal of any change to the current situation.
Political stability is still lacking in some countries along the route
of the Belt and Road. The initiative will boost the development and employment of these countries, creating more economic and social resources to realize stability.
The CPEC, with an investment as high as $50 billion, will provide an
unprecedented driving force for the economic and social development of Pakistan. China and Pakistan will be proven to be good partners to jointly implement the Belt and Road initiative. The two sides are able to address the security concerns along the CPEC and realize win-win cooperation.