China to provide 1000 more ventilators to Pakistan : Envoy

ISLAMABAD: Chinese ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing on Friday said that his country would provide 1,000 more ventilators to Pakistan during the current month so that it could fight against the deadly COVID-19 in a more efficient way.

“We [China] have so far provided seven million Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and 600 ventilators along with other equipment to help Pakistan combat the pandemic,” he said while addressing an online seminar organised by the Emerging Policymaker’s Institute (EPI) here. He said that the government of China was also working on the capacity building of Pakistan’s medical institutions in the wake of pandemic.

He also thanked the people and the government of Pakistan for extending their support when the COVID-19 had hit China.

The Chinese envoy also praised the Pakistani government for adopting the smart lockdown strategy which worked and the COVID-19 cases started decreasing. Highlighting the importance of Balochistan in the country’s development, Jing said, “Development of Balochistan is the development of Pakistan, as it has rich resources.”

He said China was also planning to further equip the province’s hospitals. He informed the gathering that an agreement had also been signed to set up skilled development centres in Balochistan.

The envoy said despite the COVID-19’s evolving situation, all the Chinese companies operating in Pakistan continued their routine work.

He said the companies did not lay off any employee; rather they put in place an effective mechanism to contain spread of the virus, adding not a single employee working with the Chinese firms contracted the virus.

During the last six months, he said, the Chinese companies had been doing their best and kept the projects moving forward.

Provincial President Jamhoori Watan Party Nawabzada Gohram Khan Bugti said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was the future of Balochistan and Pakistan.

He asked the government to make more efforts for providing jobs to youth of the province so that their financial sufferings could be mitigated.

He also highlighted the importance of roads network for the progress of any country or area. “Roads are imperative to complete the journey from poverty to progress,” he added.