MT Desk: Pakistan Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Thursday expressed his country’s “deep commitment” to its China policy and promised that Islamabad would not to let anything undermine its ties with Beijing, following his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The meeting between the Pakistani prime minister and President Xi came on the sidelines of the 3rd Belt and Road Forum, which coincided with the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which is China’s plan for global infrastructure, energy networks to connect Asia with Africa and Europe.
Kakar, who had been in China to attend the forum, said the Pakistan-China partnership was “made in heaven” and nature had chosen the two countries to be neighbors.
“Pakistan expresses its deep commitment to our traditional China policy. We would always be standing with China,” he said in televised comments from a delegation-level meeting with President Xi.
“Pakistan will not allow anything to undermine our strategic partnership.”
The BRI is a plan for global infrastructure and energy networks that China launched a decade ago to connect Asia with Africa and Europe through land and maritime routes.
Under the BRI, Beijing has pledged over $60 billion for energy, infrastructure and other projects in Pakistan. Since 2015, Pakistan has completed more than 50 projects worth $25 billion under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Earlier in the day, Kakar held a string of meetings with Chinese industry giants, including top officials of China Minmetals Corporation and the Metallurgical Corporation of China Ltd. (MCC), at which the prime minister sought to highlight Pakistan’s investment potential.
“The Prime Minister welcomed the projects of Chinese companies in Pakistan and welcomed their interest in increasing their investment. The Prime Minister said that Pakistan is taking steps for the development of infrastructure across the country,” Kakar’s office said in a statement.
“He further said that railway and road infrastructure is very important for making Pakistan a transitional economy and for the development of tourism in the country.”
