ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Sun Weidong has categorically stated that during his recent meeting with PTI’s chief Imran Khan that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) served the socio-economic interest of Pakistan’s all regions, hoping it would help improving the living conditions of the people across the board.
It was reported by local media quoting PTI’s sources that the Ambassador met with PTI’s Chairman Imran Khan and discussed the matters relating to CPEC.
When contacted seeking more information about the meeting, the Chinese Embassy’s sources said, at the invitation of PTI’s Chairman Imran Khan, Ambassador Sun Weidong met with him on Tuesday and conveyed that his country was taking active part in socio-economic development of Pakistan through CPEC.
The Ambassador availed the opportunity to assure him that CPEC was of great significance in enhancing bilateral connectivity, improving people’s livelihood and fostering pragmatic economic and trade cooperation.
He also said that CPEC was meant to serve socio-economic interest of Pakistan across the board. All the regions including those in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will benefit from it.
The sources said the ambassador also introduced the specific projects undertaken in KPK, making it clear that the passage going through western part of Pakistan to Gwadar is definitely part of CPEC.
He expressed the hope that this could help clarify the basic facts about CPEC.
It was consistently stated by the Chinese side that the CPEC was an important consensus reached by the Chinese and Pakistani governments.
Both the federal and local governments of Pakistan could make close consultation and coordination on CPEC planning and construction.
Ambassador Sun Weidong further stated that his country highly appreciates the support of all the political parties including the PTI to CPEC, hoping that the consensus on the level of the government and the political parties will be a source of strength in pushing forward their socio-economic partnership to a new height.
The Ambassador during the meeting also stated that, as a close and sincere friend of Pakistan, China hopes to see Pakistan achieve stability, development and prosperity.
His country, he added, would support its Pakistani brothers within its capacity for their better future.
China believes in win-win results and shared destiny, and its decades’ old partnership with Pakistan is for the benefit of the people, meeting their common aspirations.
On November 12, 2015, the 5th meeting of Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) of CPEC approved the principle of “one corridor with multiple passages”, aiming at directly benefiting the socio-economic development of Pakistan, especially the western and north-western regions and providing effective connectivity to Gwadar Port.
The Monographic Study of Transport Plan, approved in 5th JCC, clearly mentions that Burhan-Dera Ismail Khan-Quetta-Sorab section will provide much needed connectivity between major connection points of CPEC and will connect the western areas of Pakistan.
Source: APP
