As Pakistan forms a new government, the United States and China cautiously welcomed Cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan.

In a statement on Wednesday's election that gave Imran Khan and his party a clear edge over others, a spokesman for the US State Department also expressed concern over some developments.

"As Pakistan's elected leaders form a new government, the United States will look for opportunities to work with them to advance our goals of security, stability, and prosperity in South Asia," the spokesperson said.

"We are concerned by reports of constraints placed on freedoms of expression, association, and the press leading up to the elections."

Several news reports in US expressed concerns over the PTI leader's alleged link to Pakistan's Islamists.

Meanwhile, China's state-backed media appears cautiously optimistic about the likelihood that Imran Khan will become Pakistan's new Prime Minister, but it has a warning for him: Beware of the Western media which will try to drive a wedge between Beijing and Islamabad.

Khan hasn't always had good things to say about the $50-plus billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.  China's Global Times said in an op-ed on Friday however that it sees the new Pakistani government continuing to promote CPEC, despite Western media "hyping Imran Khan's reservations about the project".

The Global Times piece on Friday said that despite Pakistan's domestic political wrangling, the country's political circles have basically reached a consensus on support for the corridor.