A top Chinese Foreign Ministry Official, on Monday, said that the forum of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) must not be politicized by powers seeking to pursue their own geostrategic agendas.
Deputy Director at the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Department of Asian Affairs, Mr. Yao Wen said, “China does not want the FATF to be politicized by any single country. There are some countries which want to include Pakistan in the blacklist. They have political designs which China is against.”
Reiterating its support to Pakistan at the FATF platform, China has categorically announced that it did not want the forum to be politicized as some countries are pursuing their political agenda in a bid to blacklist Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/xbYCRegHtE
— Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (@MoIB_Official) October 29, 2019
China against FATF’s Politicization
Speaking with a group of Pakistani journalists in Beijing, Yao Wen said that China has blocked multiple attempts made by India and the United States to add Pakistan to the FATF’s blacklist. Wen said, “We made it clear to the US and India that we cannot do it. It goes beyond the purpose of FATF.”
Beijing has reinstated its support for Pakistan, warning member countries of the global financial watchdog to avoid politicizing the international platform. Wen said that Beijing disapproves any bid to politicize the platform of FATF, and will stand by Pakistan under all circumstances.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry official said, “China stood with Pakistan and blocked any attempt to place it on the blacklist.”
Read more: Did dropping Pakistan support lead to China becoming Vice President of FATF?
Wen observed that the purpose of the FATF is to aid a country in countering terror financing and eliminating the menace. He said, “Pakistan was effectively pursuing its National Action Plan and China encouraged it to act against terrorists and strengthen its system.”
He observed that instead of pressuring Pakistan, the member states of the FATF must support Islamabad in eliminating terrorism.
India-China Trust Deficit
The Deputy Director of the Department of Asian Affairs at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority, established by the Imran Khan-led government. Yao Wen observed that this development will aid in expediting work on the ongoing CPEC projects.
Speaking on the Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to India, in the backdrop of the heightened tensions over the barbaric curfew and lockdown in occupied Kashmir, Yao said that China and Pakistan enjoy a “mature” relationship, and such visits cannot undermine Beijing’s support for Islamabad.
https://twitter.com/ashoswai/status/1185484095322804224
He said, “Mutual trust between China and Pakistan is very high while we have a deficit of trust with India since we have so many problems and differences.”
Yao said that President Xi Jinping expressed Pakistan’s concerns over the ongoing humanitarian crisis in occupied Kashmir to the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their meeting. He said, “India was told that Pakistan did not want war with it and desired to resolve the Kashmir issue through peaceful means.”
Read more: FATF War: Pakistan Fights for White list – India Lobby For Blacklist
Yao said that Beijing has always maintained a clear position on the issue of Kashmir, and it has always been regarded as a disputed territory. Wen said, “China did not back the unilateral action taken by India (on August 5). China is willing to play a constructive role for the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue.”
The Chinese Foreign Ministry official stressed that the longstanding issue must be resolved as per the resolutions of the United Nations Charter and Security Council. Yao added that China and Pakistan enjoy a thriving cooperation in the defence sector.