ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has requested China to add Karachi Circular Railway(KCR) project to CPEC portfolio and sought Chinese collaboration forestablishing desalination plant in the country’s most populated port city.
“My top priority is to expedite the CPEC projects to restore the confidenceof the Chinese investors,” said Federal Minister for Planning, Developmentand Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal during a meeting with Ms PangChunxue, Chinese Charge Charge d’ Affairs to Pakistan, on Tuesday. FederalMinister for Planning told Chinese Charge d’ Affairs to Pakistan Ms PangChunxue that progress in China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has beenexpedited since the new government came into power and regular meetings arebeing held for the implementation of the projects.
The minister stressed that incumbent government will maintain lastingworking relationship with China in the same spirit as it was in 2013. Thisis unfortunate that during that last four years, Special Economic Zoneswere not developed which led to downturn in investment from Chineseinvestors.
During the meeting, the minister also said that Prime Minister ShahbazSharif had already requested China to add Karachi Circular Railway (KCR)project in CPEC. The minister also urged the Chinese official to resolvethe issues of Pakistani students studying in China. In this connection, 200students are being issued visas so that they complete their studies inChina.
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Similarly, the minister also suggested that Pakistan and China should startworking on Space Technology and said that Pakistani astronauts should begiven the opportunity to go to space with the Chinese. This act willfurther take the relationship between the two countries to new heightshigher than the skies, he added.
The minister also pointed to the shortage of water in Karachi and asked theChinese official to collaborate with Pakistan for establishing desalinationplants in the city to overcome paucity of clean drinking water. Ms PangChunxue assured to extend full support of China to uplift the water relatedprojects.
