ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar announced on Friday the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) enjoyed the complete support of political parties in his country while welcoming a senior Chinese Communist Party leader Liu Jianchao at the foreign office in Islamabad.
The Chinese official arrived in the country on Thursday night to co-chair the 3rd Meeting of the Pakistan-China Joint Consultative Mechanism (JCM), focusing on the progress of CPEC projects.
Established in 2019, the JCM for political parties on CPEC serves as a regular consultation platform between the Communist Party of China and Pakistani political parties.
Its inaugural meeting took place in Beijing in March 2019, and the second meeting, held virtually in August 2020.
Welcoming Liu, the deputy PM said Pakistan and China had always been strategic partners and trusted neighbors who had consistently supported each other’s core concerns on the world stage.
“Pakistan-China relations and CPEC [enjoy] full support and confidence of all political parties in Pakistan as [they have] opened up new vistas of progress, prosperity and development,” the foreign office quoted him as saying in a social media post.
The Chinese official also described the bilateral ties between the two states as unique, with “no parallel in modern inter-state relations.”
He also underscored China’s commitment to work with Pakistan to add further substance and scope to relationship and upgrade CPEC as envisaged by the leadership of both countries.
The two officials agreed to maintain the momentum of high-level engagements and to further enhance communication on important regional and global issues.
Liu is expected to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during his stay in the country.
He will also interact with leaders of various political parties and Pakistan’s top military officials.
Pakistan and China have agreed to advance CPEC into its second phase, expanding beyond infrastructure and energy to broader economic and social development, including rural revitalization, agricultural modernization, industrialization, and green development.
This phase also emphasizes establishing Special Economic Zones to promote industrial growth and job creation.
