BEIJING – Chinese ambassador to Pakistan, Yao Jing has said as awell-wisher of Pakistan, China would like to help Pakistan march towardgrowth and prosperity.

“Newly elected Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan recently stated that heattaches great importance to China-Pakistan relations, and the CPECprovides an important opportunity for Pakistan’s development. I highlyappreciate his remarks and believe that the new government will bring newopportunities,” he said in his article published by China Daily on Tuesday.

He said developing China-Pakistan relations had always been a priority ofChina’s neighborhood diplomacy. China is looking forward to strengtheningcooperation with the new Pakistani government, bringing more dividends ofthe CPEC to the grassroots and the general public in Pakistan, making it amodel project for the benefits of both peoples.

Yao Jing said China would actively promote investment in Pakistan. TheChinese government would firmly promote industrial cooperation, expandChina’s direct investment in Pakistan, and encourage Chinese enterprises toactively participate in the construction of special economic zones. “Itsfocus of cooperation will be upgrading Pakistan’s manufacturing capacityand expanding export-oriented industries.”

“We will continue to organize delegations from the private sector in Chinato visit Pakistan and set up various platforms for business-to-businesscooperation. We will also continue to promote the transfer of high-qualityand advanced industrial technologies from China to Pakistan, establish morejoint ventures, and strengthen the brand of “Made in Pakistan”, he added.

The Ambassador said that China would also actively expand its imports fromPakistan. In November, China will hold the first China International ImportExpo in Shanghai, where, as one of the “Chief Guest” countries, Pakistanhas been invited to send a large delegation of exporters and set upexhibitions at both the national and export levels. It is hoped thatPakistan will make full use of this opportunity to promote its superiorproducts to China.

“The Chinese side will also promote cooperation between the customs andquarantine authorities of both countries to facilitate the furtheropening-up of China’s agricultural product market to Pakistan,” he added.

Yao Jing said China would, under the framework of free trade cooperationbetween the two countries, provide a larger market share for Pakistanigoods, and strengthen cooperation and facilitate local trade betweenGilgit-Baltistan and China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. “And Chinawill take further visa facilitation measures to encourage more Pakistanibusinesspeople to visit China.”

About CPEC focus on development, he said as result of the largest number ofongoing projects with the fastest progress, the China Pakistan EconomicCorridor (CPEC) had become a major pilot project of the Belt and RoadInitiative.

“The CPEC has progressed in four major agreed areas: ports, transportationinfrastructure, energy and industrial cooperation. It has so far created70,000 direct jobs for the local people,” he added.

He informed at present, 15 energy projects were planned as a priority witha total capacity of 11,110 megawatts, among which, 11 were underconstruction or in operation and their total capacity is 6,910 MW.

The Ambassador said, to help the “iron brother” in need, many Chineseengineers had traveled to Pakistan, and worked shoulder to shoulder withPakistani colleagues, sometimes day and night.

“Recently, many friends have told me that power outages have reduced,making this summer more enjoyable. This is really good news to me, and theCPEC workers from both countries,” he added.

Yao Jing said he was also happy to see the transportation infrastructureprojects advancing rapidly, adding, the cargo shipment from Gwadar Port wasincreasing day by day. And the Gwadar Free Trade Zone had been officiallyinaugurated, attracting investment from both China and Pakistan.

“The CPEC is people oriented, too. It adheres to the Belt and RoadInitiative’s principles of mutual consultation, joint construction andshared benefits. Any CPEC project, whether at the planning or constructionstage, is equally negotiated, fully discussed and jointly implemented byChina and Pakistan. These projects strictly follow the principle of marketorientation and the international business model,” he added.

He said the CPEC had adopted advanced technologies and strict environmentalprotection standards. And the Chinese government strictly supervised theCPEC projects and prohibits all Chinese companies from indulging incorruption.

Reiterating China’s commitment to improving Pakistan people’s livelihood,he said besides, China would focus more on helping Pakistani people improvetheir livelihoods. It would actively promote cooperation between the twocountries’ universities, establish more vocational and technical trainingcenters in Pakistan, provide aid for building 50 schools in the tribaldistricts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, expand the primary school inGwadar “donated” by China. The purpose of this is to help Pakistan improvethe quality of its human resources, especially of the youth.

He said besides, China would consider setting up an agricultural technologydemonstration center in Pakistan to improve local agricultural technology,production efficiency and value-added agricultural industry.

“It also will strengthen scientific and technological cooperation withPakistan, establish a China-Pakistan Joint Research Center on EarthScience, strengthen scientific research on disaster reduction andprevention, promote ecological and environmental protection, and helpdevelop green and sustainable growth in Pakistan,” he added.

The Ambassador said Beijing would encourage Chinese companies to fulfilltheir social responsibilities and play a more active role in sponsoringlivelihood projects.

“We will also explore more pragmatic cooperation with Pakistan in suchareas as poverty alleviation and healthcare,” he added.

“In a nutshell, the CPEC is a joint project and joint asset of and jointopportunity for the two countries and the two peoples,” he added.

He said that China was ready to work with Pakistan to maintain the momentumof high-level exchanges, making good use of the CPEC to deepen ourpragmatic cooperation in trade, investment, agriculture and livelihood.

“Let us work together to push our all-weather friendship to new heights tobuild a community of China-Pakistan shared future at an early date,” heconcluded. – APP