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Pak-China economic corridor to serve as a game changer: Mamnoon
APP
ISLAMABAD – President Mamnoon Hussain on Friday termed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a game-changer for the entire region and would serve as an engine for economic integration between the two countries.
Addressing a launching ceremony of Chinese President Xi Jinping's book “The Governance of China” here at the Pakistan-China Friendship Centre, Mamnoon said that the CPEC by linking the Gwadar port via the Karakoram Highway with Xinjiang would be a transformational project for the two economies.
“It will complement the Chinese government's strategy for developing China's inland provinces, and dovetail perfectly with President Xi Jinping's vision of One Belt, One Road.” Mamnoon said the flagship project would begin a new phase of their bilateral ties and noted that significant progress had already been made in implementing this monumental project.
He said a comprehensive institutional architecture to support the economic corridor was being put in place. He said early priority projects had been identified and would be entering the implementation stage shortly. He recalled that last month, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif concluded a highly successful visit to China which saw the conclusion of 19 MoUs and agreements, relating to energy, infrastructure and other projects.
He said that Pakistan was proud of its historic association with the Communist Party of China. Pakistan was one of the first countries to recognise the Peoples Republic of China in 1950. Since then, the relationship of the two countries had grown into a strategic partnership that had benefitted both nations on the diplomatic, economic and military spheres.
He added that the warmth in bilateral ties at the government-to-government level was matched by cordial relations and cooperation between the Communist Party of China and all major political parties of Pakistan. He said last year, the CPEC signed a landmark MoU on cooperation and exchange with the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's first visit to China after assuming office.
He said successive leaders of the CPEC had also used moving expressions to capture the unique nature of Pakistan-China relations. The new Chinese leadership had maintained this tradition. The CPEC general secretary and Chinese President Xi Jinping, had coined the term, Iron Brothers, for Pakistan-China friendship.
“Our exceptional fraternal relations can be attributed to our physical proximity, to the common rivers that flow through both our lands, and to the mountains that traverse our borders.” The president said that Pakistan-China relationship was founded on absolute convergence of interest that found expression in their united and principled stance on a host of international and regional issues.
He said that the people of Pakistan and China had stood shoulder to shoulder through every trial and tribulation. “We cherish the same ideals: freedom, dignity, and the right to peaceful pursuit of development. We are truly Iron Brothers,” he added. The event began with the observance of a one-minute silence to pay homage to the martyrs of the Peshawar tragedy and to remember the young students, teachers and security officials, who lost their lives.
“Our thoughts are with the families of the victims of this unimaginably heinous act in this difficult hour,” the president said. “Such cowardly acts will not weaken our resolve. Instead, they have made the people, government and armed forces of Pakistan even more determined to eliminate terrorism and terrorists from our soil. We will prevail, Inshallah!,” the president said.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk