BEIJING: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday met the Chairman of China International Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) Ambassador Luo Zhaohui wherein they exchanged views on the unique and enduring China-Pakistan friendship and the promotion of pragmatic cooperation driven by common development, strategic trust, and mutual benefit.
Shehbaz Sharif, who arrived Beijing on Wednesday on the second leg of his five-day China visit, lauded the robust support of CIDCA for China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects and Pakistan’s socioeconomic development, especially the establishment of Pakistan-China Friendship Hospital, the Desalination Plant in Gwadar, and the New Gwadar International Airport.
Terming the CPEC as the hallmark of ironclad friendship between China and Pakistan, they noted that the Joint Working Group on Socioeconomic Development under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) had yielded positive results.
They expressed confidence that the momentum would continue in the CPEC phase II to improve the lives and livelihoods of the people.
He lauded CIDCA’s pivotal role in supporting developing countries especially Pakistan during the COVID-19 pandemic, the post-2022 flood reconstruction, and the grant of polio vaccines. The CIDCA chairman vowed to further deepening China-Pakistan cooperation across diverse fields.
The PM also underlined the need to expand the bilateral cooperation in infrastructure development, climate change response, and human resource development, including under the ambit of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Global Development Initiative (GDI).
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who is currently on a visit to China, will spend a busy day in Beijing on his second day of the official visit.
According to a statement issued by the PM office on Thursday, the Prime Minister will address a Pakistan-China Friendship and Business event, which will be broadcast on PTV News.
He will also meet the heads of China Exim Bank, China Power, China Energy, China Road and Bridge Corporation and China Construction and Communication Corporation. The Prime Minister will also visit Science Park and Academy of Agricultural Sciences. He is scheduled to meet Chinese President XI Jinping, the Premier and the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress during his stay in China.
PM Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Beijing yesterday on the second leg of his five-day visit to China to further consolidate time-tested friendship and economic cooperation. The Prime Minister was received by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong at the airport. PM Shehbaz is accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and other members of the cabinet and senior officials.
Earlier in Shenzhen, the Prime Minister visited the Huawei Technologies Corporation headquarters. During the visit, PM Shehbaz reiterated his commitment to advancing an innovative, inclusive and sustainable digital transformation for Pakistan.
