Minister Ahsan Iqbal lauds completed projects as CPEC celebrates 10 years

Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary said that China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a landmark project in the development history of Pakistan-China relations which will bring prosperity and socio-economic uplift to the people of Pakistan and also contribute to the regional connectivity and development.
He made these remarks during a meeting with Chairman, China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), Luo Zhaohui here.
He was accompanied by Chief Economist Planning Division Dr. Muhammad Nadeem Javaid and senior officials of the Embassy.
Paying rich tribute to the leadership of the two countries for providing strategic guidance to the development of CPEC, the minister highlighted key projects that have been completed since the launch of CPEC a decade ago.
During the meeting, Planning Minister conveyed best wishes and congratulations of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Chairman CIDCA on the successful holding of the “First High-Level Conference of the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development”.
The minister appreciated the strong partnership between Planning Division and CIDCA on socio-economic development projects in different areas including agriculture, health, education, vocational education, water supply, and poverty alleviation under the CPEC framework.
He especially commended CIDCA’s strong support for development projects in Gwadar.
Commending the Global Development Initiative (GDI) of President Xi Jinping which Pakistan has joined as the first partner country, the Minister expressed hope that the two sides will further strengthen bilateral cooperation in priority areas under this historic framework.
Chairman Luo appreciated the contributions of the minister to the advancement of CPEC and assured him of CIDCA’s long-term commitment to the high-quality development of CPEC.
He also welcomed the Minister’s proposal of setting-up Expert Groups on enhancing Pakistan’s export potential and development of Special Economic Zones & industrial parks on the basis of the Chinese experience.