BRI has growing impact on world: envoy

Says energy crisis afflicting Pakistan has largely subsided due to CPEC

BEIJING: The rapid construction of physical infrastructure accompanied by reinforced mechanisms for policy coordination, financial linkages and people-to-people bonds under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is impressive, said Pakistan Ambassador to China Masood Khalid.

The ambassador shared his thoughts on the BRI as well as the upcoming Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in a recent written interview with Xinhuanet.



He said the Belt and Road Forum is a symbol of the BRI’s growing impact on the world.

“Pakistan looks forward to the second Belt and Road Forum as an important platform for deepening international consensus on connectivity and promoting effective cooperation to unlock the potential of our economies and give full play to the enterprising spirit of our people,” he said.

In the short span of a few years, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has become one of the largest, most visible and most successful projects under the initiative, the ambassador said.

The energy crisis afflicting Pakistan has largely subsided due to CPEC, according to the ambassador. Pakistan’s economic growth in 2017-18 reached a recent high of 5.8%, he added.

“CPEC has also occasioned profound changes in how we approach development intellectually,” he remarked.

Khalid encouraged Chinese enterprises to take advantage of the favourable investment opportunities in Pakistan.

The article originally appeared on the China Economic Net 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 16^th, 2019.

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