ISLAMABAD, Sept. 16 -- Pakistani Minister of Planning, Development and Reforms Khusro Bakhtiar said on Sunday that China’s growth and development in short span of time are unparalleled in the global history.

Addressing a reception here to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Bakhtiar paid a tribute to China’s achievements and said that the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a doctrine based on connectivity and finding complementarities between different economies in the region and beyond.

He shared the experience of his visit to China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) headquarters in Beijing, where he saw the memories of the Karakoram Highway constructed with the Chinese collaboration.

“I still remember a picture of the construction of Karakorum Highway in the 1960s. It was an engineering marvel where a lot of our Chinese brothers lost their lives but that engineering marvel paved the way for what we call today CPEC,” said the minister.

The minister ensured that the present, as well as the future governments, are committed to taking the CPEC to new heights, adding that the scope of the project is being further increased from the second phase, industrial and agricultural cooperation, up to socio-economic cooperation.

The event was organized by All-Pakistan Chinese Enterprises’ Association in collaboration with The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry.