Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar presides over a roundtable in Beijing on October 17, 2023. Photo: Courtesy of the Pakistani Embassy in Beijing

 
The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is an important pillar in the Pakistan-China all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, which is based on mutual understanding and respect, Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar said on Tuesday.

He noted that Pakistan’s vision of the CPEC is rooted in its desire for regional connectivity and sustainable development. He stressed the critical role the CPEC has played in upgrading the socio-economic landscape of Pakistan over the last ten years.
Kakar made the remarks while presiding over an interactive roundtable on the CPEC in Beijing on Tuesday. The roundtable was attended by a number of academics, scholars and researchers from notable Chinese think tanks and academic institutions. 

Kakar said at the roundtable that Pakistan and China had agreed to convert the CPEC into a corridor of growth, livelihood, innovation, openness and green development.

Noting the accomplishments of the CPEC over the last ten years, Kakar underlined the importance of reflecting on the journey thus far, identifying the successes, reviewing the lessons learnt, and charting out a map for the next phase of high-quality development of the project.

During the roundtable meeting, Chinese academics and scholars underscored the importance and significance of the CPEC as a great partnership under the BRI. They also reaffirmed the continued interest of Chinese companies in investing in Pakistan’s Special Economic Zones and contributing to the further growth of the CPEC, enhanced regional connectivity and sustainable development.

The CPEC can become a pivot for regional trade and connectivity and a bridge for people-to-people contacts, they noted. 

Kakar arrived in Beijing on Monday to attend the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, which is being held on Tuesday and Wednesday. According to Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign affairs, he will attend the opening ceremony of the forum and address the High-Level Forum entitled “Connectivity in an Open Global Economy.” He will also visit Urumqi, Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, to meet with local leaders and businesspeople, aiming to enhance trade, investment and people-to-people relations.

Before he departed to China, the Pakistani prime minister penned an exclusive piece for the Global Times, in which he wrote that Pakistan was among the first countries to join the BRI. As a flagship project of the BRI, the CPEC marks a milestone in Pakistan-China relations by placing economic cooperation and connectivity at the very center of the bilateral agenda, making the two countries more interconnected than ever before. 

“The CPEC remains a shining example of the BRI’s promise of economic prosperity and connectivity. It has transformed the socio-economic landscape of Pakistan, upgrading modern infrastructure, enhancing regional connectivity, ensuring energy security, and creating jobs,” he wrote.

“In a world marred by multiple challenges like conflicts, economic recessions, food insecurity, social inequalities, and climate change, the salience of the Pakistan-China all-weather strategic cooperative partnership assumes great importance. It is a source of pride and comfort for our two peoples and a factor of peace and stability in the region and beyond. Ours is a relationship of the past, present, and future, and nothing can alter this reality,” he stressed.

The visit of the Pakistani leader comes against the backdrop of ongoing celebrations marking the ten years of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the BRI. 

The prime minister will also highlight the key achievements and future priorities of the CPEC, and reaffirm Pakistan’s strong commitment to jointly promote its high-quality development, according to the office of the spokesperson of the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs.