China to continue promoting high-quality development as CPEC celebrates 10th anniversary

Global Times

China is willing to promote high-quality development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), better contribute to the development of China and Pakistan and the region, and benefit the people of all countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry, made the remarks after the Pakistani government held an event on Wednesday to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the signing of the CPEC, a flagship project of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.

After ten years of development, a “1+4” cooperation layout has been formed, with the CPEC at the center and Gwadar Port, transport infrastructure, energy and industrial cooperation being the four key areas, Wang said.

Projects under CPEC are flourishing all across Pakistan, attracting $25.4 billion of direct investment, creating 192,000 jobs, producing 6,000 megawatts of electric power, building 510 kilometers of highways and adding 886 kilometers to the core national transmission network, Wang said.

He said that China and Pakistan are also expanding cooperation areas under the framework of the corridor, creating new highlights of cooperation in agriculture, science and technology, telecommunication and people’s wellbeing.

China is willing to carry forward the past and forge ahead with Pakistan. We will promote the high-quality development of the corridor to boost the development of China and Pakistan and the region and bring more benefits to the people of all countries, Wang said.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that the CPEC has been playing a pivotal role in transforming Pakistan’s economic landscape, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The implementation of a number of multi-billion-dollar development projects under the CPEC has brought socio-economic benefits to Pakistan and helped the country progress in the region and beyond, Sharif said while addressing a ceremony to mark a decade of the signing of CPEC.

Launched in 2013, the CPEC is a corridor linking the Gwadar port in southwestern Pakistan with Kashgar in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, which highlights energy, transport, and industrial cooperation.

Over the past 10 years, the CPEC has gathered momentum unheard of in Pakistan’s economic history with complete support from the Chinese leadership, the prime minister said.

He said that the pace of work on the CPEC projects will be further expedited in the coming days, and the cooperation between the two countries is being enhanced in various areas including agriculture, special economic zones, information technology, and exploration of mineral resources.