ISLAMABAD: China is fulfilling its social responsibility to ensure Pakistan’s better future, through implementation of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) on fast-track basis.
This was stated by the Chinese ambassador to Pakistan Sun Weidong while speaking at a seminar on ‘CPEC-Priorities and Challenges’ held here on Monday at a local hotel.
The seminar was also addressed by Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Port and Shipping Hasil Khan Bizanjo, Central leader of PPP Sherry Rehman and local MNA of PTI Asad Umar, who reiterated their full support to CPEC.
They vowed that the CPEC would be implemented at all cost through national unity. They spoke high of the rich potential of this game-changer mega project, stating that it has laid a solid foundation, making Pakistan an economic tiger, with THE firm support of brotherly country China.
Ambassador Sun Weidong spoke in detail about the CPEC’s future prospective, expressing his strong belief that it will go a long way improving the living conditions of the local people. This is a plan of regional connectivity that will lead to peace, development and prosperity.
He thanked the Pakistani friends for their all-out support in translating the CPEC’s dream into reality. This flagship project follows the trends of economic globalization and regional cooperation. China and Pakistan interaction has become a model of state-to-state relations between countries. Early before the initiation of CPEC, both countries have maintained close pragmatic cooperation for a long time.
´The Karakorum Highway (KKH), Haier – Ruba Industrial Park, Chashma civil nuclear power plants, Gwadar Port and a number of other major cooperative projects have laid solid foundations for CPEC. China Pakistan friendship is deeply rooted in the hearts of the two peoples.
Ambassador Sun Weidong recalled that in 2013, seeing the trends of economic globalization and regional cooperation, President Xi Jinping proposed the Belt and Road Initiative. It provides relevant countries with an important platform based on principles of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation.
Through this platform, China shares the opportunities and dividends of its development with the countries along the Belt and Road. In this spirit, the leadership of China and Pakistan made a foresighted decision, and formally proposed the CPEC initiative in 2013.
The ambassador further said, that his country believed that CPEC is an epoch-making starting point for bilateral pragmatic cooperation. CPEC will provide a strong boost for Pakistan’s economic and social development, and bring tangible benefits to the peoples of our two countries.
CPEC is a corridor of prosperity. The main purpose of CPEC is development. Presently, both sides have given priority of cooperation to energy and transportation infrastructure. It aims at meeting the urgent need of Pakistan and break the bottlenecks constraining Pakistan’s development. It has brought more vitality and dynamics to Pakistan’s economic development.
According to relevant statistics, Pakistan’s economy has gained more rapid and continuous development and generated more indigenous growth drive in recent years. Major international financial institutions are showing optimism on Pakistan’s economic outlook.
Pakistan has uplifted its international image. As an important platform for China Pakistan cooperation, CPEC has made contributions to the economic development of Pakistan.
Now, he said the CPEC has entered the stage of full implementation. 18 early harvest projects are under construction. These projects have created more than 13,000 jobs for the local people and will create more employment opportunities for Pakistan in future. In last December, the 6th JCC meeting was successfully held in Beijing. The Ministers of Federal Government and Chief Ministers of major provinces of Pakistan attended the meeting.
The two sides reached consensus on the adjustment of actively promoted projects and medium-to-long term planning. The consensus will put fresh impetus to CPEC development. The layout of CPEC projects becomes more optimized. The construction of CPEC will cover both the short term and medium-to-long term. The CPEC projects become more inclusive and will benefit all provinces and regions of Pakistan. The years of 2017 and 2018 are the years for comprehensive implementation and early harvest of CPEC projects. Some energy projects will be completed. They will further solve the problem of Pakistan’s energy shortage. New energy, infrastructure projects are being launched one after another.
The construction of the pilot area of Gwadar Free Zone has been undergoing intensively. The construction of other economic zones will move forward. The CPEC medium-to-long term plan will be finalized, which will set the direction and focus area for CPEC construction in future, he added. INP
