PM greets Chinese envoy, terms CPEC as a transformational project

ISLAMABAD – Newly appointed Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong on Wednesday assured Prime Minister Imran Khan of Beijing’s allout support for speedy completion of projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as well as industrialisation in Pakistan.

According to a press statement issued by the PM media office, the Chinese envoy held out this assurance during his meeting with the Prime Minister here.

It said that the Chinese Ambassador assured that China will fully support speedy completion of CPEC projects as well as industrialization in Pakistan.

Talking to the Chinese ambassador, the prime minister affirmed the time-tested Pakistan-China “all-weather strategic cooperative partnership”, and termed the CPEC a transformational project while reiterating Pakistan’s strong commitment to timely completion of all CPEC projects.

The Prime Minister underlined the importance of Special Economic Zones, relocation of industry, and enhanced productivity in agriculture sector.

During the meeting, mutual support on issues of core national interest for Pakistan and China was reaffirmed.

Last week, the Chinese Foreign Ministry had said that CPEC had achieved major progress since its launch seven years ago, bringing a total of $25 billion of direct investments to the country.

During his regular briefing in Beijing, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin noted that many projects had been started or completed under CPEC, a dynamic project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) launched by President Xi Jinping.

He particularly mentioned the completion of Orange Line Metro Line (OLMT) in Lahore, Pakistan’s first electric-powered public transport project.

Wang said that projects completed under CPEC, had enhanced infrastructure and power supply in Pakistan and created employment opportunities for the locals and contributed towards the growth of gross domestic product (GDP).

“These projects enhanced infrastructure and electricity supply in the country and created more than 70,000 direct positions and contributed 1 to 2 percentage points of the country’s GDP growth,” the spokesperson added.

Giving example of Afghanistan which was importing food and other essential items through the Gwadar port, Wang noted that CPEC had not only promoted development in the two countries but also helped regional connectivity and prosperity.

“Gwadar port, since first half of this year, started shipping cargo, weighing about 20,000 tonnes that carried wheat, sugar and fertilisers to Afghanistan, the spokesperson told reporters. “This created about 1,000 jobs,” he added.