China, Pakistan agree to safeguard common interests, strengthen cooperation

CHINESE Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who was the special guest at the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers meeting, held talks with Pakistani leadership including Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Arif Alvi reaffirming his country’s continued support for Pakistan’s economic and industrial development.

China has always proved to be a reliable and all-weather partner and amongst those few countries which always bailed out Pakistan in the most difficult economic situation.

It has now been reported that Beijing has also agreed to roll over Pakistan’s loans.

Contrary to other international financial institutions, China has always provided assistance or loans to Pakistan without any preconditions which really indicates the depth of this relationship.

This very posture of China also negates the propaganda unleashed by certain elements about the Chinese loans to Pakistan.

The people of Pakistan will always remain grateful to the Chinese friends for standing by the country in the hour of difficulty.

Having said so, it is also important for us not to further increase the burden of loans and take the economy towards self-reliance where it is able to pay back the existing loans.

The multi billion dollar China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project provides an excellent opportunity to us to realize this long cherished dream.

Talking to the Chinese Foreign Minister, Prime Minister Imran Khan acknowledged that the second phase of the corridor project would reinforce Pakistan’s efforts for economic development with enhanced cooperation in areas such as industrial development, agriculture and Information Technology.

The recent PM’s visit to Beijing was very successful in the context that several Chinese companies came up with proposals for investment in different sectors of Pakistan’s economy.

We must maintain rather further bolster the level of engagement with the Chinese side in order to ensure early realization of these projects which will trigger economic activity and provide job opportunities to our youths.

The focus must remain on the development of productive sectors such as agriculture, industries and IT under the CPEC to transform the economic landscape of the country.

This enhanced cooperation will bring the peoples of two countries further close to each other.