Pakistan, China strong economic partners
The Gulf Today | December 19, 2017- Pakistan and China on Monday unveiled a long-term cooperation plan in economic development envisioning cooperation until at least 2030 in areas ranging from infrastructure to information technology.
It is the first time the two countries have announced how long they plan to work together on the project, known as the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The long-term CPEC plan was made public in a ceremony in Islamabad attended by Pakistani Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal and Chinese Ambassador Yao Jing.
The document did not, however, give specific details on the projects, such as terms and conditions of investments and loans, nor did it provide details for Special Economic Zones, some of which are already underway in Pakistan.
The (CPEC), a flagship of Beijing’s Belt and Road initiative to build a new “Silk Road” of land and maritime trade routes across more than 60 countries in Asia, Europe and Africa, has committed a $57 billion investment in Pakistan.
The long term plan highlighted key cooperation areas between the two neighbours, which included connectivity with a road and rail infrastructure, information network infrastructure, energy, trade and industrial parks, agriculture, poverty alleviation and tourism.
Ahsan Iqbal said that China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project would turn ties between Pakistan China into long term strategic economic partnership.
Addressing an event for launching of Long Term Plan (LTP) China-Pakistan Economic Corridor 2017-230 along with Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing, he said, “launching of Long term Plan of CPEC will turn the China-Pakistan bilateral relations into long term strategic economic partnership.”
Ahsan Iqbal said that the long term plan would expand the scope of cooperation in various new areas, including cooperation in social sectors along with economic fields.
He said that CPEC was a national plan approved by the both the Chinese and Pakistan government.” It will effectively match relevant national plans of China as well as Pakistan Vision 2025,” he added.
“This plan is effective until 2030, the short-term projects included will be considered by up to 2020; medium term project up to 2025 and long term projects up to 2030” he added.
The minister said that during President of China Xi Jinping’s visit to Pakistan in April 2015, the all weather strategic cooperation partnership between the two countries was enriched with new connotations.
Iqbal said, “the two sides take CPEC as the core while prioritizing Gwadar, energy, transport, infrastructure and industrial cooperation which has opened a new chapter of development in the area.”
He said Chinese were doing what the Americans and the Europeans should have done after the end of the Afghan war that evicted the Soviets from Afghanistan. That war helped bring down the Berlin Wall, and made Europe safe. But we here in Pakistan are still paying the price for it.