LAHORE- Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting Pakistan in the middle of September and his visit will be of extraordinary importance.
Talking to the state-run TV representative after the third meeting of Pak-China Joint Coordination Committee in Beijing on Wednesday, he said Pakistani nation was ready to welcome the Chinese president.
The chief minister said the Chinese president during his visit to Pakistan would inspect the ongoing power and infrastructure projects being executed in the country with the cooperation of China, besides laying foundation stone of new projects.
Answering a question, the chief minister said protest sit-ins had caused a huge loss to development projects while Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metro Bus Project was also facing a delay.
Earlier, addressing the third meeting of Pak-China Joint Coordination Committee, Shahbaz Sharif said work was being carried out speedily on Orange Line Metro Train project and contractors for the project would be selected soon.
Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, while addressing the meeting, said construction of Khanjrab-Gwadar Motorway would result in a wide-ranging economic cooperation in the region. He averred a new history of Pak-China friendship was being written under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Ahsan Iqbal also mentioned the progress on the economic corridor project.
Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch said that work was being done expeditiously on Gwadar Port and the process of acquisition of land had been completed. He said the law and order situation in the province had improved during the last one year and a new era of progress and development would soon usher in Balochistan.
Meanwhile, during a meeting with Chinese authorities and heads of investment companies in Beijing, the Punjab chief minister said massive investment by China in Pakistan reflected its full confidence in the country. He said China had proved to be a true friend of Pakistan by giving it the biggest investment package in Pakistan’s history. He said the Chinese investors and various companies were investing in various sectors in Pakistan. He commended the cooperation of China in different sectors in Pakistan.
Shahbaz Sharif said the project of the economic corridor with collaboration of China was of vital importance as it would result in economic stability of the country, besides boosting trade, economic and industrial activities which would help control poverty and unemployment. He said that in view of the importance of economic corridor project, every effort was being made to maintain the required speed of execution. He said a highly conducive atmosphere had been provided to Chinese investors in Pakistan, especially in Punjab.
China expressed its willingness for further investment in energy, infrastructure and health projects in Pakistan.