China shies away from revealing if it offered loan to Pak after Imran visit

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan had made the visit to seek fresh Chinese loans after he secured $6 billion from Saudi Arabia

Imran Khan
Before knocking on the IMF’s door, Pakistan PM Imran Khan in a futile effort had sought help from China and Saudi Arabia. Photo: Reuters
IANS Beijing
Last Updated : Nov 07 2018 | 4:24 PM IST

China on Wednesday didn't reveal if it offered any financial aid to Pakistan after its Prime Minister Imran Khan wrapped up his visit, meant to seek fresh Chinese loans to tide over the country's economic crisis.  

A day after Khan's four-day China visit ended, Pakistan's Finance Minister Asad Umar said that Beijing has offered $6 billion loans Islamabad to resolve country's economic crisis.

"We had told you about the $12 billion financing gap, of which $6 billion have come from Saudi Arabia, and the rest has come from China. So the immediate balance of payments crisis of Pakistan has ended. I want to make that clear in unequivocal terms that we do not have any balance of payments crisis now," said Umar, who accompanied Khan to China.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not give a clear answer when asked about it.
 

"Pakistan is China's all-weather partners. We enjoy a very good relationship. A relationship that has been operating at a high level and we have been offering our assistance to Pakistan in the best of our capacity." Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.

"In the light of Pakistan's need in future as per the mutual agreement, we will continue to help economically and in other sectors," Hua added. 
 

During Khan's visit, China said it would do its best to help its ally Pakistan "tide over" financial difficulties.

Pakistan's is in a deep economic mess with ever increasing foreign debt. Khan had made the visit to seek fresh Chinese loans after he secured $6 billion from Saudi Arabia. 
 

Hua said that China was satisfied with Khan's visit during which the two countries agreed to deepen their ties and to complete the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) with a stronger commitment. 

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Nov 07 2018 | 4:04 PM IST

Next Story