Five-year Gilgit, Xinjiang partnership proposed

Author: APP

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said on Wednesday that cooperation between Gilgit-Baltistan and Xinjiang, an autonomous territory in northwest China, can add a new chapter in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) because of their geographic proximity.

The minister proposed a five-year plan for promoting cooperation and partnership between Gilgit Baltistan and Xinjiang in various fields. “We need to learn from China’s development experience of establishing economic zones like the Kashgar economic zone,” he added.

He expressed these views while having a meeting with the Chinese businessmen and stated that economic integration and regional connectivity between Pakistan and Xinjiang was critical for making CPEC a success. He said that CPEC would take this friendship from higher than Himalayas to higher than stars.

He said that regional and economic integration was very significant for the success of the CPEC projects. The federal minister mentioned that Zhnag Chuxian, secretary of the Communist Party of Xinjiang, had a fruitful visit to Pakistan which laid foundation for stronger regional cooperation.

He said that the success of CPEC depends on business-to-business and people-to-people contacts of both the countries. He said that cooperation between Pakistan and China was not an ordinary one but “we also have brotherly relations.” Ahsan said that “We need to develop a very comprehensive roadmap of cooperation” in different sectors between Pakistan and China particularly between the Gilgit Baltistan and Xinjiang.

The minister said that Pakistan-China cooperation would materialise in the form of solid projects and it would add colours to the friendship. He proposed that sports and education could be the possible areas of cooperation between Gilgit and Xinjiang, as this side of the border has very young population.

The minister also proposed that Chinese experts should visit Excellence Centre of Pakistan to create a better understanding of the Chinese Economy in Pakistan. He said that both China and Pakistan are committed and working hard on CPEC projects and all the projects would be completed in the stipulated time.

Yuan Jianmia appreciated the dynamism of the minister for his dedication and commitment with CPEC and supported his proposals, extending full support.