China taken into confidence over CPEC expansion: information minister

ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Friday said China has been taken into confidence over an invitation extended to Saudi Arabia to become the third partner in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.

In a post on Twitter, Chaudhry wrote: "Yes China has been taken into confidence, expansion of CPEC is in China and Pakistan interest.”

“Pakistan will be a centre of economic activity of this region, era of darkness is over,” the minister further said.

The information minister's tweet came soon after Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Ahsan Iqbal’s questioned the government’s announcement.

“Has China been taken into confidence? CPEC is a bilateral project in which induction of any other country has to have concurrence of both sides,” Iqbal posted.

On Thursday, the Information Minister Chaudhry had announced that the government had extended an invitation to Saudi Arabia to become the third partner in the CPEC plan.

Saudi Arabia invited to be third partner in CPEC: Fawad Chaudhry

Saudi high-level delegation will come to Pakistan in the first week of October

China's investment of more than $50 billion initiated CPEC projects across the country. 

The projects aim to improve connectivity between Pakistan and China, starting with the port of Gwadar. Power, infrastructure and other projects are part of the CPEC plan.