China's BRI designed to promote development, connectivity, cooperation: Pakistani Foreign Ministry

ISLAMABAD, July 8 (Xinhua) -- China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a major development initiative that is designed to promote development, connectivity and cooperation in many fields, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

"We want to see an environment regionally and globally in which the development objectives of countries and regions can be promoted through a cooperative rather than confrontational approach," Foreign Ministry's Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said here in a media briefing in response to the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) presented by the United States during the latest Group of Seven summit.

Ahmad said the broad participation of countries in BRI shows the legitimacy and importance of this global initiative.

Pakistan would welcome any schemes or initiatives that could be launched by other countries or groups of countries providing similar opportunities for development, connectivity and enhanced cooperation among countries and regions, the spokesperson said.

Pakistan has consistently said that it is open to initiatives and programs in which it can participate to promote international development objectives, according to the spokesperson.