Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Nong Rong, the newly appointed Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan on Wednesday assured Prime Minister Imran Khan that China will fully support the speedy completion of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor’s (CPEC) projects as well as industrialisation in Pakistan.
PM Imran, during a meeting congratulated the ambassador on his appointment and extended best wishes for a fruitful term.
The ambassador thanked the premier for receiving him and said that his country will deepen cooperation with Pakistan in agriculture and other sectors during his term at the office.
Affirming the time-tested Pakistan-China “All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership”, PM Imran termed CPEC as a transformational project, and reiterated Pakistan’s strong commitment to timely completion of its projects.
The premier underlined the importance of Special Economic Zones (SEZs), relocation of industry, and enhanced productivity in the agriculture sector.
During the meeting, mutual support on issues of core national interest for Pakistan and China was also reaffirmed, according to the statement.
Last week, Chinese Foreign Ministry had said that CPEC had achieved major progress since its launch seven years ago, bringing a total of $25 billion of direct investments to the country.
During his regular briefing in Beijing, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin noted that many projects had been started or completed under CPEC, a dynamic project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) launched by President Xi Jinping.He particularly mentioned the completion of the Orange Line Metro Line (OLMT) in Lahore, Pakistan’s first electric-powered public transport project. Wang said that projects completed under CPEC, had enhanced infrastructure and power supply in Pakistan and created employment opportunities for the locals and contributed towards the growth of gross domestic product (GDP).