China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang has said that the country was hoping to receive wider approval and support for China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) among the regional countries and the rest of the international community.

Speaking to reporters during a regular press briefing on Monday, he said the multi-billion dollar project was not only of important significance to China-Pakistan common development, but also conducive to regional connectivity and common prosperity.

The statement came in response to a question over India’s suspected attempts to disrupt the economic corridor.

It is a 3,000 kilometre-long network of roads, pipelines and railways to transport goods from Gwadar port to Kashgar in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China.

Citing various statements of Indian leadership, a Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson had claimed that an Indian intelligence agency was striving to target CPEC and had setup a cell specifically for that purpose.

“We have noted the relevant reports,” Kang responded, adding that CPEC was a new type of cooperation framework between China and Pakistan for across-the-board cooperation, in particular the long-term development of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries in a broad sense.

“China is confident in working with Pakistan to ensure the sound development of the CPEC and uphold the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.”