BEIJING: Prime Minister Imran Khan assured Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday of speedy completion of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, as he said it was “top priority of his government”.The two leaders, in a meeting at the People’s Great Hall of China, resolved to “further deepen strategic communication and strengthen all-weather cooperation” as they led their delegations in the Chinese capital.The Prime Minister was accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Minister of Planning Khusro Bakhtiar, Minister of Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Commerce Adviser Abdul Razak Dawood, PM’s Special Assistant on Petroleum Nadeem Babar and Board of Investment Chairman Zubair Gilani, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed and other senior officials. Prime Minister Khan said the CPEC would play a transformational role in accelerating Pakistan’s economic development and promoting regional connectivity and prosperity. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s steadfast support to China on all issues of core interest.Chinese President Xi extended his country’s “unwavering support to Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”. Xi expressed support “on all issues of Pakistan’s core national interest”, saying China’s relationship with Pakistan was “rock-solid and unbreakable”, the PM Office said following the meeting. Both leaders exchanged views on a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues in a cordial and friendly atmosphere.On the Kashmir issue, Prime Minister Khan highlighted the continued lockdown of millions of Kashmiris for over two months that created a dire humanitarian situation in the Valley. He stressed the urgency to immediately lift curfew in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K) to alleviate the sufferings of the Kashmiris to avert risks to peace and security in the region.President Xi lauded the agenda of Imran Khan’s government of socio-economic development and people-centric progress. He also lauded Pakistan’s efforts to expeditiously execute CPEC projects and stressed it would help national and regional economic development process.He expressed the confidence that strong vibrancy between the two countries would deepen and broaden in future. President Xi appreciated Pakistan’s efforts in combating terrorism and maintained Pakistan through institutional and economic reforms was resolutely and promisingly on the way to substantial economic development.Both leaders agreed a peaceful and stable Afghanistan would promote economic development and connectivity in the region and expressed the resolve to continue to support peace and reconciliation process. They agreed to keep momentum of high-level exchanges between Pakistan and China as the two leaders expressed satisfaction over close cooperation at multilateral forums. Later, President Xi hosted lunch in honour of Prime Minister Khan.Later, Prime Minister Imran Khan met National People’s Congress (NPC) Chairman Li Zhanshu at the Great Hall of the People. Khan stressed that the completion of CPEC was top priority of his government. He hoped its Phase-II would pave the way for further socio-economic development and livelihood opportunities for the people of Pakistan.He was accompanied by Foreign Minister, Minister for Railways, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Energy and other senior officials. Congratulating Chairman Li on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Prime Minister reiterated Pakistan and China were close friends, steadfast partners and iron brothers.He underlined that China’s economic transformation in the last few decades had been very impressive and worth emulating. He particularly noted that Pakistan wanted to learn from China’s experience of poverty mitigation and expressed his determination to reduce poverty in Pakistan by following China’s model.He also solicited the support of China in improving Pakistan’s agriculture and Artificial Intelligence sectors.The Prime Minister proposed that, given Pakistan’s unique advantages, Chinese companies might relocate their industries to the country. He thanked China for its steadfast support to Pakistan on all issues of its national interest.Chairman Li Zhanshu reaffirmed Chinese leadership’s commitment to support Pakistan on issues of its core national interest. Li, recognising the promise of Pakistan with its forward-looking policies, maintained that China would support Pakistan in initiatives proposed by Prime Minister Khan.He also maintained both China and Pakistan could propose new projects that could be included in the CPEC. Both the leaders agreed to carry forward the momentum of bilateral visits and enhance parliamentary linkages, which would further cement Pakistan-China bilateral ties.They also underscored commitment to enhance cooperation in political, cultural, educational and people-to-people ties. The Prime Minister invited the NPC chairman to visit Pakistan, which the latter graciously accepted.According to a joint statement issued after the conclusion of Prime Minister Khan’s visit to Beijing, the leadership of Pakistan and China reaffirmed their support on issues concerning each other’s core interests.The Pakistan side reaffirmed its commitment to the One China Policy. Supporting One Country Two Systems, Pakistan reiterated that the affairs of Hong Kong were China’s internal matter and all countries should uphold international law and basic norms of non-interference in internal affairs of other countries.The Pakistan side briefed the Chinese side on the situation in IOJ&K, including its concerns, position, and current urgent issues. The Chinese side responded it was paying close attention to the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir, and reiterated that the Kashmir issue was a dispute left from history, and should be properly and peacefully resolved based on the United Nations Charter, relevant UN Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements. “China opposes any unilateral actions that complicate the situation.”The two sides expressed determination to speedily execute CPEC so that its growth potential could be fully realised making it a high-quality demonstration project for the Belt and Road Initiative.
10-10-2019, 11:11 AM
Imran assures Xi of CPEC projects? speedy execution
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