Joint building of Belt and Road highlighted (7)

Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar

Pakistan

President Xi Jinping stressed on Thursday the need to use the 10th anniversary of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as an opportunity to upgrade the project into a corridor for growth, livelihood, innovation, green development and openness.

During a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Anwaarul-Haq Kakar in Beijing, Xi called for enhanced cooperation between Beijing and Islamabad on industrial parks, agriculture, mining and new energy, as well as the expedited implementation of major connectivity projects.

He noted that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has secured fruitful results over the past decade as it effectively promoted Pakistan's economic and social development and became a key signature project for jointly building the Belt and Road.

China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperation partners and their friendship is iron-clad, with successive governments in Pakistan actively supporting and participating in the Belt and Road cooperation, he noted.

Xi emphasized that China appreciates Pakistan's long-standing and firm support for its core interests and will continue to support Pakistan in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, as well as choosing a development path that suits its national conditions.

He welcomed the export of more high-quality Pakistani agricultural products to China, while expressing the hope that Pakistan will ensure the safety of Chinese institutions and personnel in Pakistan.

China is willing to strengthen cooperation with Pakistan within the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization frameworks to promote regional unity and cooperation, and safeguard the legitimate interests of developing countries, he added.

Kakar, who took office in August as the eighth caretaker prime minister of Pakistan, hailed the tremendous success of the BRI over the past decade.

He said the eight major steps proposed by Xi at the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will not only enhance global connectivity but also promote a fairer and more equitable global governance system, providing important opportunities for development in Pakistan and other countries.

Pakistan will always be a trustworthy and reliable friend of China and will never allow any force to undermine this friendship, he said.

XU WEI