Chinese Envoy, Planning Minister Discuss Progress on CPEC

Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong called on Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives Muhammad Sami Saeed on Tuesday and discussed progress on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The minister facilitated Chinese leadership for the successful holding of 3rd Belt and Road (BRI) Forum 2023 that was held last month in China and appreciated the vision of President Xi who identified eight areas of cooperation. During the meeting both sides have discussed progress on on-going CPEC projects and future outlook. Both sides reiterated resolve to further strengthen relations between the two countries. The minister said that this Vision will have a strong impact in the implementation of phase–II of the CPEC and reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to accelerate the implementation of the projects. The minister highlighted the significance of ML-1 and Karachi Curricular Railways (KCR) projects which are considered to be ‘strategic interventions. The minister also emphasized the importance of new areas like Science & Technology, Agriculture and Mining. These areas will have a great economic impact, said the minister. While highlighting the significance of Gwadar, the both sides highlighted key interventions to transform socio-economy of the city through high quality Vocational Training Institution, Desalination plant and state of the art Hospital. The planning minister said that all the ongoing projects are progressing well as he reviewed progress in detail after BRI. The Chinese ambassador appreciated Pakistan’s efforts to implement the CPEC as it has achieved fruitful outcomes covering major areas like Infrastructure, Energy and others. Both sides agreed to follow up progress on CPEC and mutually identify new areas of cooperation in the light of President Xi’s Vision.