Ahead of elections, former Ambassador of China to Pakistan endorses CPEC, praises Shehbaz Sharif

Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) leader, Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday tweeted a letter sent to him by former Ambassador of China to Pakistan, Sun Weidong, thanking Sharif for his cooperation leading to China-Pakistan Economic Corridor’s (CPEC) success. The Chinese embassy has also retweeted the tweet.

Good to hear from my old friend, former Ambassador of China to Pakistan, Sun Weidong, with such warmth & sincerity. This all-weather strategic partnership is a source of strength for Pakistan. His kind words about my role for CPEC success are heart-warming. I am humbled! -ss pic.twitter.com/EhwKftuIyL

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) July 23, 2018

The tweet comes a day before the 25 July Pakistan elections. Emphasising the brotherly friendship of China-Pakistan, Weidong stated that “China takes Pakistan as a priority in this diplomacy”. Weidong thanked Sharif for his cooperation and mentioned particular projects like Sahiwal coal-fired power plant project, the Zonergy solar project and Orange line metro that are making important contributions to Pakistan’s development.

The nearly $50 billion CPEC is a planned network of roads, railways and energy projects linking southern Pakistan, and the Gwadar Port, to China’s restive Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region. It was launched in 2015 and passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Balochistan. The Nawaz Sharif government had repeatedly said that the proposed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will bring development to Balochistan , which has four of the five poorest districts in Pakistan.