Prime Minister Imran Khan .........

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said that Pakistan accorded great importance to China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects and all the efforts were being made to further streamline and improve coordination at all levels, specially when the CPEC project had entered into its second phase with inclusion of critical areas such as agriculture and socio-economic development.

He was talking to Ms. Zhao Baige, Vice Chair of the 12th NPC Foreign Affairs Committee, Chair of the Advisory Committee of Belt & Road Initiative International Think Tank of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Chair of Advisory Committee of CASS-RDI, who called on him at the PM Office.

The prime minister while welcoming the delegation said that it was a matter of great satisfaction to note that all-weather and time-tested Pak-China friendship was transforming into a robust economic partnership.

He said Pakistan wanted to learn from the Chinese experience and expertise in different sectors.

A special cell was being established at the Prime Minister’s Office to ensure seamless coordination between businesses of public and private sectors, he added.

Dr Zhao was accompanied by Fang Cal, Vice Chairman and Member of the Party Leadership Group of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Chairman of China Overseas Ports Holding Company Ltd Bao Zhong Zhang, Chairman Huangshan Duowei Biology Co Ltd Guang Hui Chen, Chairman Wuhan Landing Medical Hi-Tech Co Ltd Xiao Rong Sun, President Chenjiancheng TVSKY, Jiancheng Chen, Chairman Pakistan Chinese Enterprises Services Co Ltd, Zi Hai Wang and Director RDI Secretariat Wen Qing Xu.

Minister for Planning Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Minister for Maritime Affairs Syed Ali Haider Zaidi, Adviser on Commerce Abdul Razzak Dawood, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Naeem-ul-Haq, Senator Faisal Javed and Javed Afridi were also present during the meeting.

Ms. Zhao, in her remarks, said that China would continue extending all possible cooperation to Pakistan in areas such as agriculture, health, housing and socio-economic development