BEIJING – A Chinese scholar believed that the completion of the secondphase projects under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would bring ahuge number of employment opportunities, promote the industrialization andmodernization of the nation, and substantially improve the livelihood andwell-being of the Pakistani people.
He said : “So far as I know, the first phase of the CEPC has beensuccessfully completed. Now China and Pakistan are committed tocomprehensively promotingthe development of the second phase projects, focusing on the constructionof thenine special economic zones.Prime Minister Imran Khan had instructed therelevant ministries to formulate the objectives and ensure coordination soas to complete thesecond phase projects as soon as possible.”
This was stated by Cheng Xizhong, Special Commentator of China EconomicNet, Visiting Professor at Southwest University of Political Science andLaw in a statementhere on Tuesday.
He said currently, China was in a special period to combat the novelcoronavirus epidemic and added that Prime Minister Imran Khan said thatPakistan highly appreciated and firmly supported China’s efforts to fightthe epidemic, thanks the Chinese side for providing help to Pakistanicitizens in China, firmly believes that China would overcome the epidemicwith its unique institutional superiority, and was willing to mobilize allexisting stocks in Pakistan to provide medical supplies to China. ImranKhan also said that the Pakistani people stand firmly with the brotherlyChinese people, he added.
Ms. Naghmana Hashmi, Ambassador of Pakistan to the People’s Republic ofChina reiterated that Pakistan would not evacuate Pakistani citizensbecause of the outbreakof the novel coronavirus epidemic.
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus epidemic in China had never been seenbefore in terms of severity. Chinese leaders attach great importance to it.The whole nation was now highly united. The Chinese People’s LiberationArmy and medical workers were fighting in the front line. Now, the people’swar of prevention and control of the epidemic is getting positive results.
The United Nations and various countries around the world paid closeattention to this serious pneumonia epidemic in China. They not only highlypraised the strong measures taken by the Chinese government to fight theepidemic, but also were providing assistance to China.
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Pakistan was a friendly neighbor of China, and the “iron brothers”relationship between the two countries could best be reflected when theyencounter major difficulties.
In the case of this extremely serious epidemic in China, Pakistan’sgovernment, military and people’s attention to the epidemic in China andtheir selfless support for China’s fight against the epidemic werecommendable, once again reflecting the special friendly relations betweenChina and Pakistan and the profound friendship between the two peoples.
About effect of the epidemic on the development of the China-PakistanEconomic Corridor, he believed that the epidemic would not last for a longtime and the difficulties would be eventually overcome.
“Therefore, after a period of time, the construction of the CPEC willcontinue toadvance smoothly as planned.”
