BEIJING: Prof. Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary, Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives has said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a significant project in the history of Pakistan-China relations that will benefit the Pakistani people economically and socially as well as contribute to regional connectivity and growth. During a meeting with Luo Zhaohui, chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), he said these things. Senior Embassy officials including Chief Economist for the Planning Division, Dr. Muhammad Nadeem Javaid, were with him.
Paying rich tribute to the leadership of the two countries for providing strategic guidance to the development of CPEC, the minister highlighted key projects that have been completed since the launch of CPEC a decade ago.
During the meeting, Planning Minister conveyed best wishes and congratulations of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Chairman CIDCA on the successful holding of the “First High-Level Conference of the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development”.
The minister appreciated the strong partnership between Planning Division and CIDCA on socio-economic development projects in different areas including agriculture, health, education, vocational education, water supply, and poverty alleviation under the CPEC framework.
He especially commended CIDCA’s strong support for development projects in Gwadar.
Commending the Global Development Initiative (GDI) of President Xi Jinping which Pakistan has joined as the first partner country, the Minister expressed hope that the two sides will further strengthen bilateral cooperation in priority areas under this historic framework.
Chairman Luo appreciated the contributions of the minister to the advancement of CPEC and assured him of CIDCA’s long-term commitment to the high-quality development of CPEC.
He also welcomed the Minister’s proposal of setting-up Expert Groups on enhancing Pakistan’s export potential and development of Special Economic Zones & industrial parks on the basis of the Chinese experience.
Meanwhile, Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal held a meeting with Minister for
Planning of Bangladesh, Muhammad Abdul Mannan on the sidelines of the first high-level conference of the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development in Beijing.
The forum was organized by China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA).
During the meeting, the two ministers exchanged views on their respective development programmes and reviewed the ongoing bilateral economic cooperation.
