CPEC, OBOR game-changer for entire region

People briefed on Chinese President Xi’s speech to Communist Party’s national congress

ISLAMABAD: China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and One Belt One Road (OBOR) projects are a game-changer, not only for Pakistan but also the entire region.

This was stated by Communist Party of China (CPC) Assistant Minister of International Department (AMID) Wang Yajun.

Speaking at a briefing on the 19th National Congress of Communist Party of China (CPC) in Islamabad, he said that all the political forces and people in Pakistan are unanimous on CPEC and OBOR projects, adding that CPEC, in particular, is a real game-changer for Pakistan.

“We are determined to gather fruits of CPEC and OBOR and pass them on them to people of the two countries - Pakistan and China,” he added.

Yajun said that the energy crisis in Pakistan had been overcome to a great deal, thanks to the timely completion of a number of power projects under CPEC.

Talking about the development of CPEC projects in the country, the minister said he had witnessed the fast-track development under CPEC during his trip to Lahore.

Yajun said he experienced the love the people of Pakistan have for China when he visited the Lahore Fort three years ago. A group of students, after spotting that he was a Chinese national, had chanted slogans of ‘long live Pakistan-China friendship’.

The Chinese minister said that he asked the students whether they had ever visited China. While the children replied in the negative, they were well aware of China, especially the Silk Road and the Great Wall of China.

“People of China and Pakistan are sincere and supportive of each other in difficult times,” Yajun said.

China and Pakistan always stood by each other, shoulder-to-shoulder in every difficult time.

“China-Pakistan relations are unique; we have blood-to-blood relations, generation-to-generation, we want that the relations between two countries should progress more and should be stronger like iron,” he added.

To a question, he said that China had adopted an open policy and welcomed investment from any country any group.

Sharing a report on the 19th National Congress of CPC, he said Chinese President Xi Jinping reviewed the historic achievements in China’s development over the past five years.

Jinping said that China was a leader among the world’s major economies. With the gross domestic product rising from 54 trillion to 80 trillion yuan, China has maintained its position as the world’s second-largest economy, contributing over 30 per cent to global economic growth.

He said the level of urbanisation had risen by an annual average of 1.2 percentage points with more than 80 million people moving from rural to urban areas gaining permanent urban residency.

Moreover, regional development has become more balanced. He said the president of China also said, “We should be good friends to the environment, cooperate to tackle climate change, and protect our planet for the sake of human survival.”

China remains firm in pursuing an independent foreign policy of peace. “We respect the right of the people of all countries to choose their own development path. We endeavour to uphold international fairness and justice, and oppose acts that impose one’s will on others or interfere in the internal affairs of others as well as the practice of the strong bullying the weak,” he added.

About poverty alleviation, he said China was committed to completely alleviate poverty from the country by 2020.

He said the cause of poverty reduction in China was not only good for its own development but also would make an important contribution to the development of the world. “During last five years, around 66 million people have been lifted from poverty and the average age of the Chinese had increased from 74.8 to 76.8,” he added.

He said the living standard of the Chinese had improved and the government was further committed to improving the lifestyle of Chinese people.  He said the government of China believed on transparency and had punished around 7,500 people involved in corruption.

He said a delegation from across the world including Pakistan had participated in the conference. He said journalists from 130 countries had also witnessed the proceeding of the conference.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 13^th, 2017.