Pakistan’s Ambassador to China: We are an active participant in the Belt and Road Initiative
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E-mail chinagate.cn, August 21, 2017
Pakistan is an important partner for the Belt and Road Initiative. The year 2017 marks the 70th anniversary of Pakistan's Independence Day. During an exclusive interview with China.org.cn, Pakistani’s Ambassador to China Mr. Masood Khalid talked about the opportunities brought by the Belt and Road Initiative to Pakistan’s economic and social development, and cooperation between China and Pakistan.
China.org.cn:
Good day, Mr. Ambassador. Thank you for granting this interview to China.org.cn. Last November saw the formal opening of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). This has been described as the "opening move" in the Belt and Road Initiative. From your perspective, what is its significance for the ultimate realization of the CPEC project? And what are the vital tasks to be carried out in further promoting the strategic cooperation between the CPEC project and the Belt and Road?
Mr. Masood Khalid:
You know Premier Li Keqiang visited Pakistan in 2013. At that time an understanding was reached between Pakistan and China to create the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Then we got into the discussions as to how the corridor would take shape. Subsequently there were a number of formal meetings between officials and experts from Pakistan and China to work out a framework to realize the corridor.
As you know this corridor project is part of President Xi Jinping's the Belt and Road Initiative. So after 2013 both sides worked on the planning of the corridor. The actual work started somewhere in 2015. So you can say the delivery has only been two-year project. What we did was that we divided the concept into various actionable programs – projects related to the power sector, to infrastructure, to development of Pakistan's port, and to setting up industrial and economic zones.
So these were the four areas which were agreed upon between Pakistan and China. Now we are working on these, and I must tell you that the work is going on in a satisfactory manner; we are making good progress and corridor is picking up momentum. So this is something good for the two countries’ bilateral relations.
