NEWS DESK
ISLAMABAD: China prioritizes broadening and expanding the all-weather strategic partnership with Pakistan and will further consolidate the synergy between the development strategies of both countries, Chinese Deputy Head of Mission Pang Chunxue said on Thursday.
Speaking at a policy conclave by the Islamabad Institute of Conflict Resolution (IICR) titled “CPEC’s Defining Moment: Prospect and Challenges”, she said that during Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s meeting with President Xi during his recent visit to China, President Xi said that his country would continue its fundamental policy of opening-up.
It would provide new opportunities to Pakistan and other countries through continuous development.
She emphasized that both countries would fully utilize the Joint Cooperation Committee of the mega-project China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), advance it with greater energy, and make the project an example of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor achieves desired results
She further said that CPEC has achieved desired results, creating the opportunity for 25.4 billion US dollars in investment, helping to generate 6,040 MW of electricity, build 886 kilometers of the core national transmission network, and 510 km of highways.
She said CPEC has decreased the energy shortage in Pakistan and improved transport infrastructure.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Azhar Mahmood said that CPEC is an opportunity that Pakistan got due to its geo-strategic location. It has major importance in China’s mega project One Belt One Road Initiative as it provides the shortest way to connect China with the world.
CPEC Political Aspects
Another key speaker was Dr Tahir Awan who spoke about the political aspects of the mega project. He said that Pakistan needed to take some ideas from China.
He stressed the need of linking industry and institutes to solve the challenges Pakistan is faced with.
Joining from Sri Lanka, Dr George highlighted that all countries were unique in their outlook. The need of trade have ended the isolation tendency in the countries and China is connecting different regions of the world. He said that the next century would be a century of Asia in which it would be the center of trade.
