Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said that China and Pakistan were entering the second phase of flagship China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which would help promote investment, progress and prosperity not only for Pakistan but also for the entire region.
Addressing a ceremony held to celebrate the 10th anniversary of CPEC, the prime minister said the second phase would focus on high quality development envisaging a growth corridor, with completion of special economic zones, industrial and green corridors, and openness and connectivity.
He hoped that the corridor of North and South would expand to include the entire region and different parts of the world.
The prime minister said today Gwadar had been turned into a busy a city with huge potential in the time to come. CPEC would ensure it as the busiest trade hub in the region, he said, adding that his government was placing due focus and attention to the development of the port with full speed and commitment.
He said the government had allocated resources, and made the supply of power and drinking water available while further development initiatives were in the pipeline.
Prime Minister Shehbaz said CPEC was going to turn around Pakistan’s economy through the multiple programmes and initiatives.
He also expressed gratitude to the Chinese leadership for supporting Pakistan at the critical juncture with financial support and thanked the Export–Import Bank of China and commercial banks for their loans’ roll over in the last few months.
“But we have to move away from these borrowed loans and aids, and have to stand on our feet to show to the world that our people are great, energetic and capable of facing the difficult challenges,” he stressed.
The ceremony was attended by Special Envoy of President Xi Jinping, Vice Premier of China and Member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, He Lifeng, the ministers, members of the Chinese delegation, parliamentarians, chief ministers, senior officials and relevant authorities.
The prime minister also thanked the Chinese leadership and other friendly nations for their support during the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which he termed one of the challenges faced by Pakistan.
He said it also provided them an opportunity “of introspection and moment to carve out a way forward,” and to emulate the Chinese model of development.
He underlined that Pakistan needed Chinese expertise and to learn from their experiences as taking 800 million people out of poverty in just three and half decades was a miracle which had never happened in the world.
It was possible only through the visionary leadership, hard work and journey of sweating blood by the Chinese leadership and the people, he further opined.
The prime minister said during their meeting today, they had announced joint working groups to further boost their cooperation in diverse fields for the mutual benefits of the ‘iron brothers’.
He said there was complete unanimity among the 220 million people of Pakistan and its entire political and military leadership that China was a sincere friend.
“Pakistan soon, one day, will stand on its feet and we will generate our own resources, eliminate poverty and provide jobs as China did,” he added.
Welcoming the Chinese vice premier and his delegation, the prime minister said the decade of CPEC was a great journey of friendship between the two countries, which had started since China won its independence during 1949.
The friendship was further accelerated through sincerity of purpose and commitment by many Pakistani leaders starting from Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who made huge contributions in that regard while the subsequent leaders also promoted it, he added.
The prime minister termed the bilateral ties between the two countries ‘a unique relationship’, saying the entire spectrum of the Pakistani nation and the people from all walks of life were committed to the great friendship.
He said President Xi’s visit to Pakistan, in the past, had been postponed for certain reasons which he did not want to elaborate and if it were not delayed the CPEC projects would have blossomed and completed earlier.
He said under the agreement signed by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and President Xi, the CPEC projects had witnessed a lightening speed and were completed in record period of time.
The prime minister recollected that at that point of time, the power outages had crippling affects upon industry and agriculture of Pakistan, besides its exports were damaged irreparably as they could not manage export orders.
Industry had come to a grinding halt, rendering thousands and thousands of people out of jobs, he said, adding at that time CPEC came to their rescue as different projects were completed in a record period of time.
He further said that $25 billion was invested during that period which created huge jobs, enhanced the country’s production and proved as a game changer which was a result of the vision and commitment of President Xi for the people of Pakistan.
The prime minister also praised the former Chinese ambassador to Pakistan for his role in cementing the friendship. “The story of our friendship will not end,” he added.
PM Shehbaz also referred to the devastating incident that took place in Bajaur and said they shared the grief of those bereaved families who lost their near and dear ones.
He said terrorism had also been a subject of joint cooperation between Pakistan and China. Pakistan had paid a huge price as 80,000 people laid down their lives to fight the menace of terrorism and defeated it effectively years ago, he said, adding that it also reflected the great determination of the nation’s will.
Special Envoy of President Xi Jinping, Vice Premier of China and Member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, He Lifeng, in his remarks, said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was an example of mutual trust and common development between the two countries.
CPEC became a corridor of progress and prosperity, involving huge investment and creating immense jobs opportunities, with completion of various key projects thus transforming the local economy, he added.
He Lifeng said that CPEC was an important project of Belt and Road Initiative, which was initiated under a principle of extensive cooperation for mutual interests, social and economic development of Pakistan through a network of regional connectivity.
He said both the countries were committed to high standards of CPEC projects in the second phase, adding that they would continue to work together.
Enumerating different projects being initiated and completed under CPEC, he said that cooperation would further continue in IT, agriculture, training and special zones ventures.
The Chinese vice premier said that CPEC had significantly changed lives of the ordinary people of Pakistan and proved as “a win-win cooperation and become a corridor of friendship, bringing our people closer”.
He observed that even during the Covid-19 pandemic, the workers had ensured smooth progress of different projects, writing stories of mutual trust and cooperation that transformed the vision into reality.
He also reiterated Chinese support to peace, stability and national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan, its social and economic stability to build a better future.
CPEC had been a new engine of growth and was further deepening the relationship between the leadership and people of the two countries, he added.
