LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif met Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli in Beijing on Monday. It was agreed in the meeting to take effective measures for promotion of contacts between the Communist Party of China and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. The Chinese vice premier on the occasion said that there was a need to explore new avenues for strengthening contacts between the two political parties and all out cooperation would be extended for this purpose. He said that China was fully aware of the importance of Punjab with regard to economic cooperation between the two countries. He expressed good wishes for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and said that the entire Chinese leadership was praying for his early recovery. CM Shahbaz lauded the support of people for the Communist Party of China, saying that the socialist ideology and force of great historical heritage of China were behind the unprecedented progress of the country. He said that all necessary measures were being taken for the security of Chinese nationals in Pakistan and on the occasion of 65th anniversary of Pak-China relationship, there was a need to pledge that mutual cooperation between the two countries would be fully utilised for the betterment and prosperity of the masses. He said that Pakistan was the best partner of China in the strategy for transferring of Chinese technology and industries while joint efforts would also be made for this purpose. Meanwhile, the chief minister also met Exim Bank of China Chairperson Hu Xiaolian. The chairperson paid historic tributes to the speedy implementation of projects under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. She said that term ‘shen-zhen speed’ was used for speedy completion of projects in China but now Punjab has left this term far behind and the term ‘Punjab Speed’ was being used in China with regard to rapid execution of projects. She further said that Chinese investment in Pakistan would increase manifold in the days to come, as Exim Bank was involved in completion of a number of projects in Punjab with investment of billions of dollars. It may be mentioned that Shen-zhen was among those cities of China where the first industrial economic zone was set up and the Chinese surprised the whole world by the speed of its construction. The chief minister, while talking to the Exim Bank chairperson, said that Pak-China friendship has become an example for the world to follow, as it was based on honesty, trust and transparency. He said that Chinese financial institutions were playing historic roles in the promotion of Pak-China cooperation through timely and uninterrupted completion of projects in Punjab. He thanked Exim Bank for timely provision of funds for Lahore Orange Line Metro Train project. The chief minister also met Communist Party of China International Department Minister Song Tao, who said that relations between CPC and PML-N were ideal, adding that ties between the two parties have strengthened in the tenure of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. He said that exchange of delegations at the party level with Pakistan would be welcomed and it was his desire that maximum number of youth delegations of the party should be sent to China. He assured that China would stand behind Pakistan in every hour of need. Shahbaz on the occasion said that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang have played a key role in making China the second biggest economic power of the world and the progress made by China was the result of hard work and sacrifices of Chinese leadership and people. He said that his government not only praised China, but also tried to learn from its progress. He said that 70 Pakistani students were learning Chinese language in China and more youth delegations would soon be sent to the country.