ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Chinese ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing Monday said integrated cooperation between the two Countries in the fields of media and culture could play crucial role in successful implementation of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.
While addressing the 3rd CPEC forum in Islamabad, the newly appointed Chinese envoy in Islamabad said CPEC had become an important element of Pak-China friendship and its success would be greatly depending upon dissemination of positive news regarding the corridor by media persons from both countries.
The forum was organized by Pakistan-China Institute in collaboration with Chinese Embassy in Pakistan. The event aimed at focusing on promoting information and cultural corridor through the media to support and supplement CPEC projects.
Yao Jing said CPEC was not only meant for a strategy to boost cooperation between the two Countries but it would also play an important role in bringing prosperity and socio-economic development of the entire region.
The Chairman Parliamentary Committee on CPEC Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed said the Belt and Road initiative by China was the most important project of 21st Century which would connect over 65 countries from Africa, Asia, Middle East and Europe.
Senator Mushahid Hussain said CPEC was the flagship project of Belt and Road initiative and it had become a symbol of national unity within Pakistan. He said the media forum would help enhancing cooperation and contacts in information and cultural sectors of the two countries.
Senator Abdul Qayyum said under CPEC, Pakistan and China had entered a new era of bilateral coordination in a range of various sectors including social, economy, and culture.
Presenting a detailed briefing, the Project Director of CPEC in the Ministry of Planning and Development Hassan Daud Butt said the CPEC was the most actively pursued project of One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative.
Hassan Daud Butt said the project had now become a reality and some of its early harvest projects had been completed. He added that various routes under CPEC would be completed by 2019.
THE Project Director said besides implementation of a number of projects in infrastructure, energy, railways sectors under CPEC, the two Countries were also focusing enhancing people to people contacts by exchanging of educational and media delegations.
Daud informed that after CPEC the Country’s economic growth had risen by 2-3 percent while energy crisis had also subsided after completion of some energy projects under the corridor.
The President of CPEC Media Forum Hafiz Tahir Khalil said purpose of establishing the forum was to keep the people of both countries updated regarding the mega project of CPEC.
Hafiz Tahir Khalil said journalists from both Countries should promote the positive aspects of the Corridor and they should also play their due role for countering the negative propaganda being propagated by the neighboring country.
The President of CPEC Media Forum said besides journalists from Pakistan and China, the international journalists should also become part of this forum as CPEC’s benefits were not limited to only the two countries.
Senator Afrasiab Khattak proposed to launch departments in universities of the two countries in a bid to study each other’s history, culture and to further promote bilateral relations.
“We need to have good neighboring relations especially with Iran and Afghanistan to further promote regional connectivity,” he said.
Professor Li Xiguant from Tsinghua University Biejing said Indian media was trying to propagate negative perception about CPEC by making it a controversial project.
Source: APP
