Daily Times

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will take China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) forward with new vigour, vitality and in a rejuvenated manner ensuring multifaceted development of the flagship project of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed said on Sunday while discussing the future of Pakistan-China relations and future cross border collaboration in CGTN programme ‘The Hub’ with Wang Guan.

“In the first day in office as Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif met the Chinese Acting Ambassador and told her that Pakistan considers China as Pakistan’s closest friend and strongest partner and we will take the CPEC forward with new vigour, with new vitality and in a rejuvenated manner,” he said

Mushahid remarked that China has a very old and long standing relationship with PM Shehbaz Sharif. When the Belt and Road Initiative of President Xi Jinping was launched, the CPEC was its centrepiece, and that was taken forward by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shehbaz Sharif was then the Chief Minister of Punjab.

He said that under the new government, there would be a broad based acceleration in Pakistan-China relations in all domains.

“China is number one, in terms of a foreign policy priority, which the prime minister made clear when he listed the list of countries and his formulation has been very warmly welcomed in China. So, we have no doubt,” he added.

Senator Mushahid said that China was one country in Pakistan, on which there was across the board national consensus and the entire leadership agreed that China was the number one friend.

“So, China friendship is the cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy, and I see this relationship being further developed and taken to new heights of development,” he added.

In response to a question about continued momentum in CPEC projects, he said that the first phase of CPEC was completed under the period when Nawaz Sharif was in power.

“The second phase is bigger. And you will see perhaps acceleration in the field of agriculture, in the field of Information Technology, in the field of tourism, and also infrastructure, especially the railway project,” he added.

He said that Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif had already announced during his visit to Karachi that his government would expand CPEC. So, there would be multifaceted development of CPEC.

Senator Mushahid opined that CPEC framework also united the federation of Pakistan through infrastructure and energy projects and it had resolved a lot of problems, adding, “So, we feel CPEC is the character of a better tomorrow for the people of Pakistan.”