ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday reaffirmed that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a transformational project and its completion is number one priority of the government.
The foreign minister said this while talking to Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing here in a meeting.
Qureshi said that both sides are working closely to further deepen cooperation during CPEC’s second phase which will have far-reaching impact on Pakistan’s industrial, agriculture, health, and socio-economic development sectors.
Qureshi said that Pakistan and China are all-weather strategic cooperative partners who have preserved the tradition of standing by each other during thick and thin.
The foreign minister particularly thanked China for extending solidarity and moral and material support to Pakistan in the wake of outbreak of COVID-19. He underscored that the large amounts of personal protective equipment and medical equipment sent by Beijing have significantly strengthened Pakistan’s capacity to control the COVID-19.
The foreign minister also expressed deep gratitude to the Chinese leadership for sending a team of medical experts to Pakistan to assist Pakistani health community to contain the pandemic.
Ambassador Yao Jing said China is Pakistan’s close friend and steadfast partner. He said Pakistan extended valuable support in China’s fight against outbreak of the virus.
He recalled that President Dr Arif Alvi’s visit to Beijing in March was an expression of tremendous solidarity to the Chinese people and further cemented our ties.
He said China would continue to strengthen Pakistan’s capacity to fight this pandemic. He reiterated that CPEC is high priority and both countries have maintained momentum of CPEC’s development.
Separately, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing called on Adviser to PM on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh here at the Finance Division on Friday.
During the meeting, both sides discussed matters of mutual concern and decided to further strengthen bilateral collaborations.
The Chinese ambassador lauded the relief package announced by the government for the people and business community and also appreciated the government response to tackling the spread of coronavirus in the country.
