CPEC brought over $25b investment to Pakistan: Chinese envoy

Project also created 155,000 jobs, 510 kilometres of expressways and 8,200 megawatts of power, says Jiang Zaidong

Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong has stated that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has been fruitful along its 10-year journey, cementing the solid foundation of ironclad friendship between the two countries.

He said, while quoting statistics, CPEC has brought a total of $25.4 billion in direct investment, 155,000 direct jobs, 510 kilometres of expressways, 8,200 megawatts of power capacity and 886 kilometres of core power transmission grid to Pakistan, injecting strong momentum into Pakistan’s economic and social development.

He said that Pakistani leaders and all sectors of the society applaud the achievement and speak highly of the project.

Zaidong said that China will host the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, to bring more development opportunities to the world.

Read more: CPEC now being extended to Afghanistan: Haque

“China, with the spirit of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, is ready to take this opportunity to promote the world’s earliest realisation of GDI, GSI and GCI with Pakistan, so as to provide more stability and positive energy to regional and world peace and development,” he added.

“I strongly believe that as long as we are guided by the important consensus reached between President Xi Jinping and Pakistani leaders, focus on building a closer China-Pakistan community of shared future in the new era with faster paces, and take high-quality construction of the CPEC as the platform, the all-weather strategic cooperation between China and Pakistan will constantly deepen and strengthen, allowing us to better protect mutual interest and benefit both peoples amid the change on a scale unseen in a century.”

During the past decade, he said that China proposed the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI) and the Global Civilisation Initiative (GCI), guiding the advance of human society across these three dimensions.

“To turn people’s longing for a better life into reality, China also promotes the endeavour to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity. The past ten years have seen the vision of a global community of shared future increasingly enriched, implemented and supported,” he added.

“To improve understanding and expand consensus in the international community, the Chinese government published the white paper, A Global Community of Shared Future: China's Proposals and Actions, on September 26th, to introduce the theoretical base, practice and development of the idea.”