As floods wreak havoc in South Asia, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Pakistan on Monday to ask its close ally China for debt forgiveness.
As Pakistan recovers from the floods, which drowned a third of the nation, an area the size of the United Kingdom, Blinken pledged resolute US help.
We send a simple message. We are here for Pakistan, just as we were during past natural disasters, looking ahead to rebuild,” Blinken said after talks in Washington with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
In order for Pakistan to recover from the floods more swiftly, Blinken added, “I also asked our colleagues to engage China on some of the crucial problems of debt relief and restructuring.”
With a $54 billion “economic corridor” that will create infrastructure and provide Beijing access to the Indian Ocean, China is a crucial economic and political ally of Pakistan.
Washington has frequently claimed that China will benefit while Pakistan will confront unmanageable debt as its Cold War partnership with Islamabad has deteriorated.
Pakistan has frequently dismissed the United States’ warnings, despite the fact that it views China as its top global rival.
More than seven million people have been affected by Pakistan’s floods, which have claimed 1,600 lives, including a third of children, and there are concerns that such catastrophic catastrophes could become more frequent as a result of climate change.
In addition to sending 17 planes with of supplies and $56 million in humanitarian aid, the US has also pledged long-term support.
President Joe Biden, who this month signed a significant domestic climate bill, was advised by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to also consider “climate justice.”
He cited Biden’s campaign motto, “Build back better,” and said that doing so was crucial.
Mahnur is MS(development Studies)Student at NUST University, completed BS Hons in Eng Literature. Content Writer, Policy analyst, Climate Change specialist, Teacher, HR Recruiter.
