PM Khan, President Xi reaffirm resolve to timely completion of CPEC projects
ISLAMABAD/BEIJING: Prime Minister Imran Khan Sunday said he had a great meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and they agreed to further enhance strategic and economic relations of Pakistan and China and to fast track the second phase of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). In a tweet on social media platform Twitter, he said, “Had a great meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping today. We agreed to further enhance our strategic and economic relations, and to fast track the second phase of CPEC.”
Pakistan and China have reaffirmed their support to CPEC’s high-quality development and the commitment to ensuring the smooth operation of completed projects and the timely completion of under construction projects. This understanding was reached during Prime Minister Imran Khan’s meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing during his four-day visit to China which concluded today.
According to a joint declaration issued by PM Office, during the visit, both sides acknowledged the major contribution of CPEC projects, particularly in the areas of energy and transport infrastructure. The leaders agreed to task the CPEC Joint Cooperation Committee to strengthen cooperation across all areas including trade, infrastructure, industrial development, agriculture modernization, scientific and technological cooperation and socio-economic well-being of local people.
The two sides agreed to jointly accelerate the construction and operation of Gwadar Port and build Gwadar low-carbon circular industry zone. They agreed to build high-quality livelihood projects for the socio-economic development of Gwadar city and its residents. Pakistan, China also agreed to further consolidate and expand bilateral trade relations by fully utilizing the 2nd Phase of the Pakistan-China Free Trade Agreement. Welcoming the establishment of Pakistan’s pavilions on Chinese e-commerce platforms, the two sides agreed to further strengthen cooperation in e-commerce, setting up online payment systems and cooperating in logistics, warehousing and customs facilitation.
The two sides reviewed with satisfaction bilateral cooperation and mutual support after the outbreak of COVID-9 pandemic. Prime Minister Imran Khan thanked Chinese leadership for provision of COVID-19 vaccines to Pakistan which have been a mainstay of national mass vaccination drive. The leaders reaffirmed their resolve to continue and enhance their existing cooperation for developing emergency response systems, public health infrastructure and joint ventures for development of pharmaceutical industry in Pakistan to tackle similar challenges in future.
Prime Minister Imran Khan will be the first Pakistani prime minister in 23 years to embark on a bilateral visit to Russia in the last week of this month. PM Khan’s visit to Russia this month is taking place on the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The prime minister will be accompanied by a high-level delegation of senior ministers from his cabinet. Sources say that details of this visit will be released in due course of time by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During PM Khan’s visit, the discussions will focus on enhancing cooperation in the spheres of economy, trade, defense and energy. The last time an elected Pakistani prime minister visited Russia on a bilateral visit was in March 1999 during the tenure of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Since then, there have been multiple informal pull-aside meetings between the Russian president and Pakistani prime minister at different forums. PM Imran and Russian President Putin have exchanged multiple telephone calls in recent times as well.
Last month, Prime Minister Imran Khan held a telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday and lauded his “emphatic” statement on blasphemy. “Just spoke to President Putin primarily to express my appreciation for his emphatic statement that freedom of speech could not be a pretext to abuse our Prophet PBUH,” the prime minister tweeted. PM Khan had said they also discussed ways to move forward on trade and other mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries and invited each other to visit their countries.