*BEIJING – Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Makhdum KhusroBakhtyar on Wednesday invited Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)and Chinese corporate leaders to forge a sustainable long-term partnershipwith Pakistan aimed at financing projects that contribute to overalleconomic growth of the country.*
According to a statement released from the ministry, Khusro Bakhtyarextended this invitation while meeting with the president of AIIB Mr. JinLiqun and leadership of Chinese companies including China RailwayConstruction Corporation, Huawei, Norinco and others on the sideline ofChina Pakistan Economic Corridor’s (CPEC) 8th Joint Cooperation Committee(JCC) meeting, scheduled to be held on 20th December here.
AIIB could explore opportunities of partnership in Dasu and Mohmand Damprojects which are in the planning stage, proposed the minister. “We areintroducing integrated energy policy and look for investment intransmission line projects and up-gradation of the distribution system.
In a meeting at AIIB Headquarters, Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar said thatPakistan has received a solid investment in energy generation portfolio;however now Pakistan is encouraging projects based on hydel or renewableresources, reads the statement.
Minister further said that government also promote the implementation ofeconomically viable projects in infrastructure, capacity enhancement ofports and shipping, sustainable mass transit system and development ofsmall rural and urban centers.
Mr. Jin Liqun, the president of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Banktold that projects worth US $ 1.68 billion in the different sectors arebeing financed by his bank in Pakistan.
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He vowed to support transmission line, hydel energy generation and otherprojects that could support Pakistan’s economic growth.
The minister, in his separate meeting, invited Chinese enterprises toheavily invest in Pakistan’s industrial, socio-economic, agriculture andtransport infrastructure sectors. He said that Pakistan and China areagreed on timely completion of CPEC ongoing projects and its future courseto explore new areas of cooperation in socio-economic development,accelerating cooperation in industrial and agriculture sector.
He said that the Rashkai Economic Zone would be implemented in the firstquarter of the year 2019 and rest eight SEZs would follow the same line.
