ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday called for swift implementation of decisions reached during his visit to China last month during a meeting with Beijing’s envoy, urging expanded cooperation under the next phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and follow-up on agreements signed between companies from the two countries.
Sharif’s visit to China in May included meetings with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang and focused on strengthening economic cooperation, advancing CPEC projects and attracting greater Chinese investment.
The visit also led to the signing of a number of business-to-business understandings across agriculture, climate change, renewable energy, information technology, electric vehicle infrastructure and pharmaceutical technology.
“The Prime Minister emphasized the need to immediately initiate necessary actions for follow-up on the important decisions taken during his visit to China,” his office said in a statement circulated after his meeting with Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong.
“He particularly stressed upon the need to expand cooperation in key areas under CPEC 2.0, particularly agriculture, IT, industries, including SEZs [special economic zones], and mines & minerals,” it continued, adding that the prime minister also called for timely follow-up of the understandings signed between Pakistani and Chinese companies at a business-to-business investment conference held in Hangzhou during his visit.
CPEC 2.0 is the next phase of the flagship corridor project that aims to shift the focus from large-scale infrastructure development toward industrial cooperation and the development of Pakistan’s mineral resources.
“It is now incumbent upon the two sides to work together to deliver on the decisions taken by the leadership of the two countries,” Sharif told the Chinese envoy, according to the statement.
Other issues discussed during the meeting included accelerating work on the Karakoram Highway realignment project, expanding security, counterterrorism and defense cooperation and economic and financial support, according to the statement.
The two sides also exchanged views on regional and international developments.
Jiang congratulated Sharif on what he described as a successful visit to China and reaffirmed Beijing’s commitment to strengthening cooperation with Pakistan across a range of sectors.
