Daily Times

Fruitful results of the first phase of CPEC, future cooperation to ensure the success of its second phase and the economic growth in both countries are quite evident. This was stated in a report carried by China Economic Net on Wednesday, quoting Prime Minister Imran Khan. “The first phase of CPEC focuses on connectivity and energy projects. At that time, Pakistan had problems with electricity shortage and connectivity. Now, the second phase will deepen our cooperation in the form of special economic zones. The idea is to attract investment into these special economic zones, which will provide employment, improve our growth rate, and create wealth for our country,” the prime minister said. “It is equally important for Pakistan to get help from China in the agriculture sector because the productivity of Pakistan’s agriculture is extremely low. The productivity in China, compared with us, is much higher, and various agricultural technologies are used in China. Therefore, the second phase is for special economic zones, agriculture, and skills education,” he added. Regarding the questions about how to speed up the CPEC projects, the prime minister said that Pakistan has already formed a CPEC committee to monitor the CPEC projects and make sure that there are no impediments in their way. The CEN’s report added that Imran Khan admired the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his concrete steps to pull 700 million people out of extreme poverty and to build a community with a shared future for mankind.