Pakistan and China have agreed to form a joint parliamentary committee for effective oversight and monitoring of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The decision was taken by National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaiser and Chinese National Peoples Congress (NPC) Chairman Li Zhanshu during their virtual meeting on Wednesday.
According to an official statement released after the virtual meeting, the first high-level contact between the two presiding officers after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, both leaders agreed to enhance parliamentary cooperation through interaction at the standing committee-level as well as Parliamentary Friendship Group and directed secretariats of their respective parliaments to take necessary steps for its constitution.
The NA speaker said that activity under the CPEC had gained momentum and the Rashakai Special Economic Zone (SEZ) would soon be functional and generate economic activities besides, providing employment.
He assured China of Pakistan’s support, saying that the country believed in the territorial integrity of China and fully supported the ‘One-China policy’, adding that Pakistan valued Chinese support on international and regional forums.
NPC Chairman Li Zhanshu also reiterated China’s support for Pakistan’s defence and maintaining territorial integrity. He assured the Speaker that provision of the Covid-19 vaccine was the top priority of the Chinese government.
Emphasising CPEC’s economic importance for both countries, he underlined the need for security of the CPEC to keep it moving on the right track and guard it against terrorism in the region.
