Pakistan and China have expressed their solid determination to continue working together to establish CPEC as a high-quality demonstrable project of the Belt and Roads Initiative.
This was said by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Vice Premier of the State Council of China, He Lifeng, during comments at a special ceremony held in Islamabad to commemorate the completion of the CPEC’s First Decade.
In their remarks at the ceremony, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Vice Premier He Lifeng praised CPEC for its significant contribution to Pakistan’s socioeconomic development, as well as the success and prosperity of the two nations’ peoples.
They emphasised that CPEC, as the flagship initiative of President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative, has altered Pakistan’s economic environment by eliminating infrastructure bottlenecks and electricity shortages.
Pakistani and Chinese authorities also praised the efforts of Pakistani and Chinese specialists, engineers, and labourers for their significant contributions to the timely completion of all CPEC projects in Pakistan.
Vice Premier He Lifeng also read a special message from President Xi Jinping, congratulating Pakistan’s government and people on the completion of the first decade of CPEC.
High-level dignitaries from Pakistan and China attended the event, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Xi Jinping’s Special Representative, and Mr. He Lifeng, Vice Premier of the State Council of China.
Senior Chinese and Pakistani ministers, high-ranking officials from both nations, and corporate executives from significant Chinese enterprises with operations in Pakistan also attended the event.
A commemorative Postal Stamp, Commemorative Coin, and First Day Cover were also released to celebrate the occasion.
Both parties also revealed a souvenir commemorating the first decade of CPEC, which captured the accomplishments and the future vision of CPEC.
During the, special performances were organized to display multiple facets of Pakistan’s pluralistic and progressive culture and to highlight civilizational affinity and fraternal ties between Pakistan and China.
It should be noted that Pakistan and China launched CPEC projects in 2013, following the visit of the Chinese Premier to Pakistan.
Under the banner of CPEC, the two nations have begun and completed numerous projects in energy, transport infrastructure, port and airport development, and digital connectivity during the last ten years.
CPEC provided significant benefits to Pakistan, including the creation of over 200,000 employment, the addition of 8000 MW of power to the national grid, the construction of 510 kilometers of motorways and 932 km of road network, and the installation of an 820-kilometer optical fiber connection.
Both countries’ cooperation in Phase II of CPEC has expanded to new areas including rural revitalization, agricultural development, industrialization, green development, and science and technology.
