The Latest: UN's Guterres lauds China's climate change help
BEIJING (AP) — The Latest on China's Belt and Road infrastructure building conference. (all times local):
12:45 p.m.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says China's Belt and Road initiative offers a chance to help reverse the effects of climate change.
Speaking Friday at the Beijing forum, Guterres praised China for investments of more than $125 billion on renewable energy in 2017, saying they played a pivotal role in securing an agreement at last year's U.N. Climate Conference in Poland.
The scale of planned Belt and Road investments, "offers a meaningful opportunity to contribute to the creation of a more equitable, prosperous world for all, and to reversing the negative impact of climate change," Guterres said.
The U.N. wants to align the Belt and Road with its sustainable development goals, Guterres said.
Some critics note that Belt and Road projects include coal-fired power plants that can worsen climate change.
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12:20 p.m.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan is hailing "substantial progress" in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a key element in China's Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.
Addressing the Beijing forum on Friday, Khan said Pakistan's electricity supplies had increased "massively" under the plan.
He said Pakistan was looking forward to the project, known as CPEC, moving into its next phase focusing on "social uplift," poverty alleviation, agriculture and industry, including the opening of special economic zones.
He said Pakistan also wants to sign an expanded free trade agreement with China.
He said relations between the two countries are "strong, resilient, unbreakable."
Financially troubled Pakistan has borrowed billions of dollars from China in recent years through...