Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit China in the first week of next month to join the formal launch of the second phase of the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), according to a media report on Saturday.
Initially scheduled to leave for China on June 4, the date of the visit may slightly change, a source in the Prime Minister’s Office told the Dawn newspaper.
The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Pakistan’s Balochistan with China’s Xinjiang province, is opposed by India as it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The first phase focused on infrastructure and energy projects, while the second phase will concentrate on agriculture, Main Line-I of Pakistan Railways, business-to-business deals, and the realignment of the Karakoram Highway (KKH).
During a meeting with representatives of Chinese companies on Friday, Prime Minister Sharif expressed Pakistan's desire to benefit from Chinese expertise in promoting its IT sector and boosting exports. “China has an important role in Pakistan’s development. It has always helped Pakistan in difficult times for which the entire nation, including me, is grateful to the Chinese leadership and the people,” he said.
Sharif assured the Chinese firms that the security and protection of Chinese workers and citizens in Pakistan is the government's top priority.
Thousands of Chinese personnel are currently working on various CPEC projects, some of whom have faced attacks by militants accusing them of exploiting mineral resources. Sharif stated that comprehensive measures had been taken to ensure their safety.
Highlighting Pakistan’s agricultural potential, Sharif invited Chinese companies to invest in Pakistan’s electric and hybrid auto sectors, among others.
Meanwhile, Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal and China’s Vice Chairman of the National Development Reform Commission Li Chunlin co-chaired a meeting of the Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC). The meeting emphasised the vision of upgrading CPEC with new corridors, including the Growth Corridor, Livelihood Enhancing Corridor, Innovation Corridor, Green Corridor, and Opening Up/Regional Connectivity Corridor.
Iqbal noted that while the second phase of CPEC has already begun, significant work remains to ensure its success. He highlighted progress on developing four priority Special Economic Zones (SEZs): Rashakai SEZ, Allama Iqbal Industrial City, Dhabeji SEZ, and Bostan SEZ, and stressed the need to replicate the Chinese experience in these areas.
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