ISLAMABAD – Chinese ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing has conveyed heartiestgreetings to the newly elected members of the National Assembly, hopingthat the new democratic era will further lead the country to prosperity,development and progress.
In his message, he narrated the growing Sino-Pak relations. He quotedPresident Xi Jinping having said, China-Pakistan relations should be amodel of good-neighborly friendship, a pillar of regional peace andstability, and a benchmark for international cooperation on the Belt andRoad Initiatives (BRI).No matter how the international and regional situation change,China-Pakistan friendship remains unbreakable and grows from strength tostrength. Successive Pakistani governments have taken its relationship withChina as the cornerstone of its foreign policy.
The support for China-Pakistan friendship and the China-Pakistan EconomicCorridor (CPEC) has become an across-party, across-regional andacross-board consensus of Pakistan, he added.The CPEC, he said has become a major pilot project of BRI. Up to now, 9projects have been completed and 13 projects are under construction. Atpresent, 15 energy projects are planned as priority with a total capacityof 11,110MW. Among which, 11 are under construction or in operation with atotal capacity of 6,910MW.
To help the “iron brothers” in need, many Chinese engineers headed for thecountry from afar, worked shoulder in shoulder with Pakistani colleagues,sometimes day and night. Recently, many friends told me that there is lessload-shedding, making this summer more enjoyable. This is really good newsto me, and the CPEC workers from both countries, he added.
Developing China-Pakistan relations has always been the priority of China’sneighborhood diplomacy. China is looking forward to strengtheningcooperation with the new Pakistani government, bringing more dividends ofCPEC to the grassroots and general public in Pakistan, making it a modelproject for the benefits of both peoples, he added.
He assured that China will actively promote investment to Pakistan. TheChinese Government will firmly promote industrial cooperation, expandChina’s direct investment to Pakistan, and encourage Chinese enterprises toactively participate in the construction of special economic zones. China’sfocus of cooperation will be upgrading Pakistan’s manufacturing capacityand expansion of export-oriented industry.