CPEC is our ‘national priority’: Pak to China

Islamabad, December 10 

Pakistan on Monday assured China that the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was a “national priority” as top diplomats of the two countries agreed to further expand the developmental projects to new areas.

During the first round of political consultations between the two allies here, Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua conveyed to visiting Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou that Islamabad was committed to the successful implementation of the ongoing CPEC projects.

The $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), launched in 2015, is a planned network of roads, railways and energy projects linking China’s resource-rich Muslim-majority Xinjiang province with Pakistan’s strategic Gwadar Port.

“The two sides also resolved to work together towards completion of the ongoing projects and agreed to expand the CPEC to new areas of cooperation in line with the vision of the leadership of Pakistan,” Foreign Office said in a statement.

It said that the Pakistan side conveyed that the CPEC was a national priority for the government and the country would remain committed to successful implementation of the CPEC. Both sides also held comprehensive discussions on the entire gamut of bilateral relations. The two sides agreed to build upon the consensus reached between the leadership of two countries during the visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to China.

“They reaffirmed ‘All Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership’ between the two countries and expressed their satisfaction at the strong bilateral ties in political, economic, security, cultural and other spheres,” FO said.

Both sides also exchanged views on international political situation with a particular focus on Afghanistan and South Asia. They also expressed satisfaction at their robust cooperation in multilateral fora and reiterated their resolve to further augment it in the future. — PTI