Bilateral cooperation: Pakistani govt excited over Chinese president’s visit

No official announcement on visit made, officials keen on discussing projects


Our Correspondent August 28, 2014

ISLAMABAD:


Ahead of the anticipated visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Pakistan, officials from both countries discussed bilateral economic cooperation. 


Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar discussed broader contours of the president’s high-profile visit. Both sides are expected to sign agreements to implement projects in the energy and infrastructure sectors with Chinese assistance.

However, neither Pakistan nor China have yet officially announced the visit of the Chinese President. The foreign office has also not convened the inter-ministerial meeting to finalise the possible areas of cooperation during the upcoming visit, according to an official of the Board of Investment.

The Chinese ambassador said that Pakistan-China Economic Corridor was moving ahead smoothly and the third round of Pakistan-China Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) was currently going on successfully. He said mega projects in the energy and infrastructure sectors with the help of the Chinese would bring development and economic progress to Pakistan.

Under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Beijing has recently announced providing financial assistance for 14 energy projects and four mega infrastructure projects including Karakorum Highway Phase-II, development of Gwadar Port, Lahore-Karachi Motorway and Orange Line Metro Project in Lahore.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Wednesday that an agreement has been reached with China on the construction of Lahore-Karachi Motorway.

The ambassador said that China has no agenda other than cooperation in development and economic progress of Pakistan, according to a handout issued by the Ministry of Finance.

The finance minister said that political leadership of both countries has a common vision and spoke of the robust economic cooperation, reducing differences between the two countries and regional connectivity.

Dar said that the economic corridor will reduce transportation cost between Pakistan and China and enhance trade and investment for great future of this region.

He hoped that projects in the pipeline will be completed on time. He also informed the ambassador that political leadership in Pakistan is looking forward to welcoming Chinese president’s visit and hoped that the visit will usher in a new era of progress and development.

According to political analysts, the Chinese president’s anticipated visit to Pakistan will be seen as critical support to the government at a time when it is facing challenges on the domestic front.

The PML-N government has been claiming that the Pakistani PM’s decision to first go to China after taking oath was not liked by western powers.

While speaking at state-run TV, the party’s senior leader Senator Mushahidullah Khan claimed that the recent political turmoil has its roots in the PM’s decision to visit Beijing first instead of going to Washington.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28th, 2014.

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COMMENTS (5)

Kamal | 9 years ago | Reply

We have failed as a nation because because we are not a nation in the first place. We are, by and large, just a bunch of selfish, greedy and corrupt individuals living in a contiguous geographic location. We are an unruly and ungovernable crowd who have ensured that this will be so moving forward by slowly and surely destroying all the national institutions. For such a bunch of people, like the Chinese 75 years ago, you need extended authoritarian rule and discipline. Call in the only institution not fully destroyed - the army, to take over for 30 years and sort us out. Yes, it will take that long. And have the courage to tell the US to mind its own business while we sort out our own house. Lets do this while we still have a Superpower friend - China, to help us resist the external pressure we will face for these 30 years.

Iqbal | 9 years ago | Reply

@Osama Mir:

"China’s friendship is indeed a blessing for Pakistan."

But just two weeks ago people in Pakistan were complaining that China were discriminating the Muslims in their country. People's minds seem to be changing on a daily basis. In any case there are not many friends left for Pakistan. USA and the West don't trust us and soon I am convinced we will look to countries like Somalia as well for friends. We have failed.

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