ISLAMABAD: The People’s Republic of China will give development loans to Pakistan without interest for basic, heavy engineering projects to help in its efforts to build an independent and self-reliant economy. This was stated here today [Aug 3] by the Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Mr Ting Kou-yu. The Ambassador, who had two separate meetings with President Ayub Khan and Foreign Minister Bhutto in Rawalpindi yesterday, declared that China will always support Afro-Asian countries in general and Pakistan in particular, in their struggle against imperialist pressure and interference in internal affairs and also in their struggle to uphold their sovereignty and to build up their economy.

China would particularly support Pakistan, he added, because she was a “good neighbour”. In pursuance of this policy, the Ambassador stated, China has already given an interest-free loan of 60 million dollars and was expecting beneficial economic results from this loan. Mr Ting Kou-yu said besides this loan, whenever Pakistan needed economic assistance, “we will certainly provide” that to promote economic cooperation between the two countries.

The Ambassador was asked if China had offered economic aid to Pakistan following the freezing of aid by USA, and what concrete proposals were under discussion. The Ambassador said that economic help had already been assured and the details were now being discussed by the proper authorities of the two countries. In case, Mr Ting Kou-yu said, the US aid was stopped “we will give you whatever aid we can within our capacity”. He, however, expressed the view that even if the US aid was stopped Pakistan would not be in serious difficulties. He further said that the US aid was not only expensive economically but also tied with political terms.

Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2015

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