Daily Times

Caretaker Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi has said that interaction in China between the top leadership of Pakistan and China would further enhance the bilateral relationship to the new heights as the caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar would leave for China today (Monday) to participate in Belt and Road Forum being hosted by the Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Speaking at a seminar “CPEC and My Life” the other day, the minister said he was happy to know that people from the gross-root level were invited to speak about the positive impact of the CPEC on their lives.

The people had immensely benefitted from various CPEC projects such as Orange Train in Lahore, Thar Coal in Sindh and Gawadar in Balochistan, he added.

Talking about the establishment of Special Investment Facilitation Council by Pakistan to provide one-window facilities to the investors, the minister said that as the CPEC was entering into the new phase, adding Pakistan was keenly looking forward for more and more bilateral cooperation in mining, agriculture, IT and other sectors.

He said enhancement of geographical linkages through improved road, rail and air transportation system would boost frequent people-to-people contacts and enhance understanding through academic linkages.

The higher volume of trade and businesses would result into integrated development which would eventually promote, harmony and sustainable development, he added. “CPEC is the journey towards economic growth in the globalized world”, he maintained. Chinese ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong expressed his country’s readines to further promote CPEC in partnership with Pakistan, adding “We are ready to work with our Pakistani colleagues from all walks of life to further promote the projects in the next ten years of CPEC.”

“What was agreed between President Xi Jinping and the Pakistani leaders for a high-quality sustainable and enhanced cooperation and support in the fields of security and development, we can implement with mutual consensus”, he said. The ambassador was of the view that Pakistan and China could jointly jointly make the CPEC, a corridor of love and peace. He said that mutual cooperation in new fields such as industry, agriculture, mining, science and technology and IT sectors could be increased. “Thus a new chapter can be added in the CPEC which will bring the people of China and Pakistan closer to each other in the common future”, Jiang Zaidong maintained.

Foreign Secretary, Syrus Qazi while speaking on the occasion observed that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor or CPEC, as the flagship project of President Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), was the emblem of Pakistan-China strategic cooperation.

He said the CPEC symbolized coordinated efforts of our two countries to bring our economic and trade ties at par with our excellent political relations.

“CPEC has broken new ground in regional connectivity and is multiplying opportunities for economic integration for the entire region, while taking our higher-than-the-Himalayas friendship with China to even greater heights”, Syrus Qazi said.

The foreign secretary said that from the Pakistan-China border in Xinjiang to all the way to the deep-sea ports of Karachi and Gwadar, the economic landscape of Pakistan had been transformed in the last ten years.

“Our infrastructure has been upgraded and, with it, the productivity of our large, youthful and skilful population has been unleashed”, he said. Syrus qazi noted that the CPEC had ensured fast-pace economic development of the under-privileged and remote sections of our society.

“Pakistan and China have established a special Joint Working Group on Socio-economic Development: for job creation, poverty alleviation, rural revitalisation and provision of basic amenities for the under privileged localities”, he told the participants of the seminar.

He said the cherished goal of both Pakistan and China was to develop Gwadar as the regional hub of trade and connectivity; and connect it with the markets of Central Asia and Middle East.

“The implementation of such a huge project needs strong political and public support. Media, therefore, has an important role to highlight the success of CPEC, identify new areas of cooperation, and create public awareness regarding centrality of CPEC for Pakistan’s economic development and our iron-clad friendship with China” Syrus Qazi observed.

While talking of the positive impacts of Orange train in Lahore, Shafqat Ullah Mushtaq from Lahore said the train had promoted the scenic beauty on one hand and provided an opportunity to the travellers to see Lahore city from various locations.

Ghulam Khatoom, a dumper driver from Thar, said the Thar coal project had provided ample opportunities for employment and thus had enhanced the incomes of the people over there.

Muhammad Ashfaq Paracha from Nowshehra maintained that the proposed Special Economic Zone at Rashakai under the CPEC had made this area a central point not only for national but also the regional trade. Ayesha Alam Khan from Hazara University observed that the CPEC projects like Hazara Motorway had eased the lives of the people. “I lived in Abbotabad and my travel time to Hazara University has been reduced from four hours to just 25 minutes”, she observed.

Dr Nizamuddin from Gilgit was of the view that the fruits from GB especially the Cherry export to China had created a revolution as one packet of cherry used to sell at Rs 250 was not being purchased at Rs 1000 by the Chinese traders.

Munir Ahmad Nadozai from Gawadar was of the view that the CPEC had created unprecedented connectivity.” The long distances in Balochistan which were covered in days are now reduced to hours”, he said.