BEIJING: President Xi Jinping has reaffirmed Beijing’s readiness to work with Pakistan in upholding high standards, sustainability and enhancing public well-being and further building the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor into an exemplary project of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.
The president’s remarks, delivered as Pakistan hosted an event in Islamabad on Monday to celebrate the launch of the CPEC a decade ago, showcased the strong commitment from Beijing for the success of the landmark project under the Belt and Road Initiative and offered a boost in confidence to Pakistani society, analysts said.
In a congratulatory message to the event, Xi said that since the launch of the CPEC in 2013, China and Pakistan have adhered to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits in advancing the project and attained a host of early outcomes.
The CPEC has injected new momentum into Pakistan’s economic and social development and laid a solid foundation for regional connectivity and integration, he said.
He said that the CPEC serves as “a vivid testament to the all-weather friendship between China and Pakistan”, adding that it has provided important support for building an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era.
He stressed the need for both nations to continue to improve overall planning and scale up bilateral cooperation under the CPEC.
Xi said Beijing will always stand in solidarity with Islamabad despite all changes in the international landscape.
He urged both sides to forge ahead in solidarity to carry forward the ironclad friendship, coordinate development and security, and pursue cooperation of higher standards, broader scope and greater depth.
Vice-Premier He Lifeng, the special envoy of President Xi, spoke at Monday’s event in Islamabad.
The two nations should work toward the upgrading of the CPEC and build it into a corridor for growth, public well-being, innovation, green development and opening-up, he said. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
