Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of China and Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform of Pakistan have agreed to expedite the pace of work on development projects in Gwadar under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework.

This agreement was reached in a meeting between NDRC Chairman Xu Shaoshi and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal in Beijing. They also discussed the holding of meetings of working groups of CPEC next month and construction of Gwadar-Nawabshah gas pipeline. They underlined the importance of constitution of working group on industrial zones, and said that it would accelerate the pace on industrial zones establishment in Pakistan. They also reviewed the pace of work on CPEC projects. The NDRC chairman commended the role of the planning minister in this regard.
Shoashi said the CPEC is a testimony of hard efforts put in by leadership and best teams in two countries. He noted that China is a true friend of Pakistan, but it could not benefit from the industrial growth and development of China in the past. Ahsan

Iqbal said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif wanted to turn the strong ties between China and Pakistan into sustainable economic partnership. He also extended invitation to the chairman to visit Pakistan.

Meanwhile, addressing the Chinese investors conference, Ahsan Iqbal said that Pakistan is an attractive market for Chinese investors. “With 200 million population of which two third are youth and 80 million middle-income group, he said Pakistan offers excellent opportunities to Chinese investors. He said that Pakistan aspires to increase productivity in agriculture and industrial sector though optimal use of technology.

The minister said that 10,000MGW of power would be added in national grid by 2018, and modern communication infrastructure would be built under the CPEC. “The biggest target of the economic corridor is to turn Pakistan into modern industrial country, he added. He said that Chinese investors in joint ventures with Pakistani entrepreneurs can create far-reaching positive impact in Pakistan’s business sector. He also ruled out any threat to political stability in the country. The seminar was jointly organised by Pakistan embassy in China and NDRC.