Chinese firms’ role laudable in Pakistan socio-economic development

ISLAMABAD    –    Chinese enterprises in Paki­stan have made important con­tributions to local sustainable development while actively improving people’s livelihood, an eight- member delegation organized by the Chinese Con­sulate General in Lahore said during a visit to the headquar­ters of PKM contractor China Construction Third Engineer­ing Bureau (CCTEB), Gwadar Pro reported on Sunday.

Xiao Hua, General Manager, CCTEB welcomed the Pakistani media and think tank delega­tion and briefed the delega­tion on the development of the company in Pakistan and the story of construction of PKM project.

He highlighted that as one of the series activities of the Open Day of “Cultural Integration and Communication”, the vis­it and discussion of the Paki­stani delegation further deep­ened Pakistan’s understanding of the largest infrastructure project under the framework of China- Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

As the head of the delega­tion, Lt Col (Retd) Sayed Ah­mad Nadeem Qadri, Director General Operations Nawa-i- Waqt Group, pointed out that the visit presented to the Paki­stani media a comprehensive, three-dimensional and real Chinese enterprises.

“The efforts made by CCTEB in Pakistan are conducive to the sustainable development of Pakistan. Both Chinese and Pakistani enterprises are building a green corridor for ecological protection,” he said.

Undertaken in EPC mod­el, the PKM Project is the larg­est transportation infrastruc­ture project of CPEC and also a key project along the Belt and Road.

The project starts from Suk­kur, Sindh, in the south, and reaches Multan, the economic center of Punjab in the north, with a total length of 392 km and a designed speed of 120 km per hour.

The project includes 100 bridges, 468 underpasses, 991 culverts, 11 interchanges, 6 pairs of service areas, 5 pairs of rest areas, 22 toll stations.

The project now has been completed and open to traffic. It is the highest standard mo­torway in Pakistan with the highest design level and the most advanced intelligent sys­tem.

It adopts Chinese SBS modi­fied asphalt technology and is the only one with full green­ing along the route and strong flood resistance.

The project protected the ecology by planting trees along the route, which are now grow­ing in full vigor, forming a 392-km green gallery.

The delegation members also spoke highly of many large- scale infrastructure projects being built by Chinese enterprises in Pakistan. They stressed that the architects of the two countries have devot­ed a lot of manpower, materi­al resources and efforts to the projects.

They expect more Chinese companies to work with lo­cal enterprises to promote lo­cal industries, help local villag­ers be employed, improve their skills and create a good work environment for them.

The two sides can make a great contribution to Paki­stan’s economic and social de­velopment by taking concrete actions to address livelihood issues such as transportation, water, healthcare and educa­tion.