BEIJING: Pakistan and China on Thursday reaffirmed their resolve to expand cooperation under the upgraded China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC 2.0), which envisions five new corridors in its next phase.
The understanding was reached during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang. Both leaders expressed satisfaction over the upward trajectory of bilateral ties and vowed to strengthen collaboration in diverse fields.
PM Shehbaz, currently on a six-day official visit to China, earlier attended the SCO summit in Tianjin. During his meeting with Premier Li, the two leaders witnessed the signing and exchange of MoUs covering cooperation in CPEC 2.0, agriculture, IT, media, science, and technology. The talks were followed by a luncheon hosted in honour of the Pakistani delegation.
The prime minister conveyed deep gratitude for China’s consistent support for Pakistan’s sovereignty and socio-economic development. He praised China’s transformation under President Xi Jinping and said Pakistan aimed to replicate its success by building a stronger “shared future” partnership.
On the economic front, Shehbaz underscored CPEC’s vital role in Pakistan’s progress over the past decade and stressed speedy implementation of key projects, including ML-I, KKH realignment, and Gwadar Port operations. He also announced Pakistan’s plan to launch Panda Bonds in the Chinese capital market.
Highlighting opportunities for B2B engagement, the premier pointed to the Investment Conference held earlier in the day, which brought together more than 800 companies from both countries. Agriculture, mining, textiles, industry, and IT were identified as priority areas for joint ventures and investments.
Reiterating Pakistan’s support for President Xi’s global initiatives on development, governance, security, and civilisation, PM Shehbaz reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to further cementing the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership with Beijing.
