PM Shahbaz says China's economic cooperation will never be forgotten

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said China's economic cooperation will never be forgotten and they are highly grateful to the Chinese people and their government for rolling over the debt of Pakistan.

According to the 24News HD TV channel, on the completion of 10 years of CPEC, a commemorative ceremony was organized in the Islamabad Convention Centre on Monday. PM Shehbaz addressed the ceremony.

A high-level delegation of China headed by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng participated in the ceremony and addressed the gathering.

Chinese Deputy Prime Minister said in his address that Pakistan and China remain good neighbours, friends and partners and CPEC has renewed the mutual interest of both countries.

The Chinese Vice Premier said that CPEC is the beginning of a new era in both countries as it is the era of industrial development which has begun in Pakistan now.

 Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, while addressing the ceremony, thanked the Chinese President for his cooperation in dealing with the economic challenge.

Shahbaz Sharif said that China's economic cooperation will never be forgotten. He added that they were grateful to the Chinese people and their government for rolling over the debt of Pakistan.

He said CPEC is entering the second important phase and more than 25 billion dollars have been invested under this project. He said the second phase of CPEC will bring a new era of prosperity to Pakistan.

Gwadar has turned from a small village into a city with a bright future in a few years while several projects including water and electricity are also going on in the port city.

He said former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto played an important role in the Pak-China friendship.

In his address, the Prime Minister described terror attack in Bajaur as regrettable and said the scourge of terrorism has to be worked together.

PM said that China and Pakistan were entering into 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.

He hoped that this corridor of North and South would expand to include 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 Sharif said that CPEC was going to turn around Pakistan’s economy through the multiple programme and initiatives.  

He also expressed gratitude to the Chinese leadership for supporting Pakistan at the critical juncture with financial support and thanked the Chinese bank and their 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 as one of the challenges faced by Pakistan.

The prime minister 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 decade of CPEC was a great journey of friendship between the two countries which had started since China won its independence during 1949.

This friendship was further accelerated through sincerity of purpose and commitment by many Pakistani leaders starting from Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who made huge contributions in this friendship while the subsequent leaders also promoted it, he added.

The prime minister terming the bilateral ties between the two countries as ‘a unique relationship where entire spectrum of Pakistani nation and the people from all walks of life are committed to this great friendship’.

The prime minister said President Xi visit to Pakistan, in the past, had postponed for certain reasons which he did not want to elaborate and if it was 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, country’s 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 the CPEC came to their rescue as different projects were completed in a record period of time.

The prime minister further said that $25 billion was invested during that period which created huge jobs, enhanced 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.

The prime minister 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 the terrorism had also been a subject of joint cooperation between Pakistan and China.

Pakistan had paid 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 China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was an example of mutual trust and common development between the two countries.

The 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 Covid 19 pandemic, the workers had ensured smooth progress of the 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 a new engine of growth and and was further deepening the relationship between the leadership and people of the two countries, he added.

In the ceremony, a commemorative coin of 100 rupees was issued while PM Shehbaz presented a commemorative souvenir to the Chinese Vice Premier.