Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday that his government was focused on completing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor linked projects on priority basis. Sharif made the comments during a meeting with a delegation of China Road and Bridge Corporation headed by its Vice President Ye Chengyin in Islamabad, state-owned Radio Pakistan reported.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister was given a detailed briefing on the ongoing and completed projects. It was informed that the Havelian-Thakot section of Karakorum highway has been completed while work is in progress on its second phase from Thakot to Raikot.
The meeting was also apprised of the progress made on other projects including Karachi Coastal Development, Rashakai Special Economic Zone, Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway (M-9) Babusar Tunnel and railway corridor from Karachi Port Trust to Pipri. Prime Minister Sharif directed the authorities concerned to complete all the CPEC related projects in the stipulated period.
"The government is ensuring transparency in development projects and those relating to public importance will be completed on an urgent basis, he said. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a flagship project of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) - a multi-billion-dollar initiative launched by President Xi Jinping when he came into power in 2013.
The BRI aims to link Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf region, Africa and Europe with a network of land and sea routes. The Chinese delegation was appreciative of the steps taken by the government for timely completion of the CPEC projects. In addition, China Road and Bridge Corporation showed interest in investing in Pakistan's 10,000 megawatts solarization project.
Sharif said both Pakistan and China are longstanding friends and their relations date back to decades. The Prime Minister said China has always stood by Pakistan in difficult times. He said the entire Pakistani nation is grateful to the Chinese leadership for their assistance to the flood victims. Ye presented a cheque of USD 100,000 to the Prime Minister for the relief and assistance of flood victims. (PTI)
