CPEC laying foundation for sustained economic modernisation: PM

Pakistan-China relations are an important factor for peace and stability in the region , says premier

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is laying the foundation for sustained indigenous economic modernisation.

In an interview with the Global Times, he said over the past 10 years, the construction of CPEC projects has helped Pakistan reduce the bottlenecks caused by past power shortages and weak infrastructure.

PM Shehbaz said the government will continue to work closely with China to enhance the momentum of cooperation between the two countries.

Regarding Pak-China friendship, he said the all-weather strategic partnership between Pakistan and China is deeply rooted in people's hearts, covering all areas of bilateral cooperation.

PM Shehbaz further said that the two countries support each other on the issue of mutual core interests. Pakistan has always firmly supported the One China Policy and believes that Taiwan is its inalienable part, he added.

Moreover, the premier stated that Pakistan-China relations are an important factor for peace and stability in the region and the world.

He went on to say that the development strategy of the coalition government depends on how to repair the economic fundamentals that constrain us from realizing our existing potential.

Furthermore, PM Shehbaz said in order to stabilize the economy, we urgently need to lay the foundation for the long-delayed structural reforms, adding that the government also needs to deepen economic and trade relations with friendly countries.

In his concluding remarks, the prime minister said that public policy transformation from geopolitics to geo-economics represents a consensus that we should realise the potential of to accelerate Pakistan's development.

He added that the core of our development strategy remains to safeguard the well-being of the Pakistani people and make Pakistan a self-reliant state.