Beijing (Web Desk): Pakistan and China on Thursday expressed satisfaction over the steady progress of their bilateral relations and agreed to work jointly on the next stage of the upgraded China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC 2.0), which features five new corridors.
The understanding was reached during a meeting between Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
In what was described as a warm and friendly interaction, the prime minister extended deep gratitude to the Chinese leadership and people for their steadfast support to Pakistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and socio-economic development.
Building on the consensus reached earlier between President Xi Jinping and the prime minister in their meeting on September 2, both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further cement the all-weather, strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.
The signing of the Joint Action Plan 2024–2029 was termed an important step forward.
PM Shehbaz congratulated China on the successful hosting of the SCO Council of Heads of State Summit in Tianjin and offered felicitations on the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese people in the War of Resistance and the World’s Anti-Fascist War.
He paid tribute to China’s remarkable transformation under President Xi Jinping’s leadership, adding that Pakistan aspired to learn from China’s achievements in order to build a closer Pakistan-China community with a shared future.
PM Shehbaz noted that Pakistan’s reform agenda was beginning to yield positive results, made possible with China’s valuable support, and announced plans to float Panda Bonds in the Chinese capital market.
The prime minister underlined the role of CPEC, a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative, in driving Pakistan’s socio-economic progress over the past decade. He stressed the importance of expediting key projects including the Main Line-I railway upgrade, the realignment of the Karakoram Highway and the full operationalization of Gwadar Port.
Referring to the potential for business-to-business partnerships, he briefed Premier Li Qiang about the B2B Investment Conference held earlier in the day, where over 300 Pakistani and 500 Chinese companies participated. He identified agriculture, mining, textiles, the industrial sector and IT as priority areas for enhanced collaboration.
Reiterating Pakistan’s support for President Xi Jinping’s initiatives aimed at promoting multilateralism—including the Global Governance Initiative, Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative—the prime minister emphasized their importance in shaping global cooperation. It was also highlighted that Pakistan and China will celebrate the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic ties next year.
Following the talks, the two leaders attended the ceremony of signing and exchanging agreements and memorandums of understanding covering cooperation in CPEC 2.0, science and technology, IT, media, agriculture and other fields.
The meeting concluded with a luncheon hosted by Premier Li Qiang in honor of PM Shehbaz and his delegation.