ISLAMABAD: Chief Minister Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif thanked the Chinese leadership particularly President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang for their highly dynamic and proactive role in smooth implementation of CPEC.
In his article published in China Daily, he said the opening of Gwadar port for international trade is the result of unity of thought and close coordination between our two governments.
The CPEC, which is a flagship project of the Belt and Road initiative, is undergoing robust implementation at the moment. The projects of worth $ 30 billion are being implemented. Eight industrial zones to bet set up in all the provinces of Pakistan will create investment and employment opportunities.
With a major chunk of the CPEC investment i.e. $34 billion earmarked for energy sector projects, Pakistan’s GDP will be strengthened by 2pc straightaway on their completion.
The articles says, ” The 13th of November 2016 will do down in history as an epoch-making day when the Prime Minister of Pakistan, flanked by top civil and military leadership of the country, inaugurated the Pilot Trade Project at a prestigious ceremony at Gwadar city. The operationalization of the Gwadar port, which is the centerpiece of the CPEC, is the best news to come in recent months.
The start of the trade activity represents the realization of a cherished dream and opening of a new era of peace and development for Pakistan, South and Central Asia, and Gulf regions.
The fact that the cargo containers used the overland western route during their 3000 km long movement from Kashgar to Gwadar sends multiple messages. It proves that Pakistan is a peaceful country and the CPEC route has been fully secured, thanks to elaborate security arrangements made by the government of Pakistan.
The way people showed their warmth and excitement as the caravans passed through different regions shows the popular ownership of the CPEC project.
The successful implementation of the Belt and Road initiative would help deepen regional economic integration, boost cross-border trade and financial flows between Eurasian countries and the outside world, and further entrench patterns of trade, investment, and infrastructure.
The formal start of trade activity at the Gwadar port represents a landmark event in this regard.
In Pakistan, we continue to be inspired by spectacular accomplishments China has made under the leadership of President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. The way Beijing has lifted people out of acute poverty by providing them with reasonable standard of living is a practical manifestation of the China Dream, an idea that is changing lives for the better.”
