The bilateral resolve to expedite the mosaic of development was taken to new heights. Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng, on a three day visit to Islamabad, assured Pakistan that the BRI’s flagship initiative of CPEC will lead the country to high standards of innovation, as well as sustainable and livelihood-enhancing outputs, and certainly deepen cooperation. With $28 billion already making their way to Pakistan, the second phase of CPEC was kicked off with pride by both the countries. The dignitary, who was bestowed with Pakistan’s second-highest civil award, Hilal-i-Pakistan, reiterated that, “…no matter how the regional landscape may change, China will always stand firmly with Pakistan and will continue to work hand in hand and forge ahead with sincerity to carry forward our iron friendship.”
It was a get-going moment for both the countries as they overcame a decade of challenges and impediments. Lifeng, who had been at the vanguard as the multi-billion dollar trans-regional CPEC was initiated in 2013, was pleased to share that the project has achieved many ‘early harvests’ and has laid the foundation for regional integration and connectivity. This is no small deed as it has come as a lifeline for Pakistan in an age when its economy was in a fix, and international posture was acrimonious. The signing of six new agreements, during the visit, was icing on the cake as socio-economics was cemented with political commitments.
Now with CPEC’s second phase seeing industrialisation taking roots, Pakistan has to surely resurrect its internal order. With multi-billion-dollar Main Line (ML)-1 railway project, Gwadar Port and scores of mining and telecommunication projects seeing the light of the day in years to come, what is needed is a streamlined process to make utilities cheaper and ensure bottleneck-free official machinery to galvanise production. This is where CPEC’s phase-II will face the litmus test of managerial skills of men at the helm of affairs. Pakistan and China are at the crossroads of knitting the region, and no amount of revulsion at home or abroad should derail the momentum.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 2nd, 2023.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ