Daily Times

Pakistan, under the leadership of newly-elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the new government, could achieve a greater accomplishment in the cause of national development, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

“We believe that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz and the new administration, Pakistan can achieve a greater agreement in nation building,” Mao Ning said during her regular briefing in response to a question asked by APP.

Felicitating Shehbaz Sharif on assumption of office of the prime minister of Pakistan, she said, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang had sent congratulatory messages to him. The spokesperson said that China commended positive remarks made by the prime minister of Pakistan on bilateral relations and the construction of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). “We commend his positive statement regarding China-Pakistan relations and CPEC,” she said.

Mao Ning expressed the optimism that Pakistan could continue to work with China for high-quality construction of CPEC and advance China-Pakistan all-weather cooperative partnership to foster an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future and deliver more benefits for the two peoples.

It may be mentioned here that President, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) was elected prime minister for second time on Sunday by securing 201 votes in the National Assembly of Pakistan. In his speech, the prime minister had vowed to bolster ties with China and accelerate the building of CPEC projects.