Beijing (Web Desk): Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said he wished he could follow the example of Chinese President Xi Jinping and put 500 corrupt individuals in Pakistan to jail.
Addressing the China Council for Promotion of International Trade, the prime minister said that one thing he had learned from China was how the country's leadership tackled corruption.
"One of President Xi Jinping's biggest crusade has been against corruption," he said, adding that he had heard that some 400 "ministerial-level people" had been convicted on charges of corruption and put behind jail in the last five years in China.
The PM was referring to President Xi's anti-corruption drive launched in 2012 that reportedly netted more than 1.3 million officials at various levels, from the elite to the ordinary.
"I wish I could follow President Xi's example and put 500 corrupt people in Pakistan in jail," remarked the premier, saying unfortunately processing [cases] in Pakistan was "very cumbersome".
The PM said that the most important thing that Pakistan could learn from China was the way it lifted people out of poverty.
"What inspires me most about China is the way they have lifted 700 million people out of poverty in 30 years," he said. "This has never happened in human history."
Khan said that since his government had come to power, it had taken a conscious decision to make it easier for investors to come to Pakistan.
He invited the Chinese companies to invest in the diverse sectors of Pakistan including housing, textile, manufacturing, IT and financial services, physical and technological logistics, agriculture, oil & gas and tourism and hospitality.
The PM said that Pakistan is opening up for the businesses and it is great time for the Chinese companies to invest in the country.
“The Prime Minister office will be dealing with all the major investments including those of the CPEC,” the PM said.
He added that Pakistan has also established CPEC authority to resolve all the problems coming in the way of the implementation of corridor related projects.
“Gwadar smart port city master plan has been approved, work on Gwadar airport is in progress and it will be completed soon,” PM Khan said.
He said we are now especially concentrating on our Special Economic Zones (SEZs).
The PM said Pakistan is encouraging the businesses to make big profits as the wealth creation will enable us to lift the people out of poverty on the pattern of China.
Imran Khan said the second phase of CPEC will focus on industrial and agriculture cooperation.
Prime Minister Khan said security situation has improved in Pakistan due to the efforts of security forces and intelligence agencies.
“Pakistan is one of the safest places for investment in the world. We have established a special security force for the protection of Chinese workers,” the PM said.
Prime Minister Imran Khan said the present government has also liberalised the visa regime and the Chinese can get the visas on arrival at the airport.
Alluding to the geo strategic location of Pakistan, Imran Khan said Pakistan's unique location and its young and vibrant population makes it the attractive country for investment.
Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived in Beijing on a two-day visit to hold meetings with the Chinese leadership.
During his visit, PM Imran will hold meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang.
Meanwhile, the premier also held a series of meetings with representatives of Chinese companies in Beijing and invited them to invest in Pakistan.