Pakistan ready to move toward second phase of CPEC, says PM Shehbaz Sharif

ISLAMABAD (92 News) - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that Pakistan is ready to move toward the second phase of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

In an interview with Xinhua news agency, the prime minister said that Pakistan and China will carry shared values and march toward shared development, prosperity and progress together.

In response to Chinese President Xi Jinping's congratulation, PM Shehbaz Sharif thanked Xi for his warm congratulations and continued support for Pakistan. "I deeply value his sentiments not only for the people of Pakistan, for our friendship, but our mutual cooperation. For me, it's a very good start."

This year marks the 73rd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. Shehbaz Sharif said that over the past 70-plus years, the leaders of Pakistan and China have continuously cultivated and promoted bilateral friendship. "The two countries have developed into all-weather strategic cooperative partners with a unique friendship like "iron brothers" that has stood the test of time. This friendship now must achieve higher heights," he added.

When talking about Chinese modernization, the prime minister said that Pakistan should emulate the model. "It is a great success model and success story," the prime minister said, recalling how generations of visionary Chinese leaders have led their people to create unprecedented development miracles, lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and providing vast rural populations with access to education, healthcare and employment.

The PM said Chinese modernization has created growth centers and sectors competitive in the global market. "Despite challenges in recent years, China's growth has still gone steadily compared to other countries, which is a remarkable achievement," he added.

The prime minister said Pakistan could learn from the model to alleviate poverty, boost youth employment, and encourage small and medium entrepreneurship in agricultural, industrial, and information technology sectors across urban and rural areas.

Noting that Pakistan is among the first batch of countries joining the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative (GDI), PM Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan fully and firmly supports the GDI and Global Security Initiative. He believes such initiatives will strengthen the bond among global communities.