ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday praised China’s diplomatic and material support to Pakistan in the war on terror.
He was talking to a delegation led by Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the National Committee of Chinese Peoples’ Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
Nawaz said that the visit will establish institutional linkages between parliaments of Pakistan and China.
He stressed close cooperation between the two parliaments, which, he said would contribute towards further strengthening the warm and friendly relations between Pakistan and China.
Nawaz recalled that the relations between the two countries were raised to an even higher level of “all weather cooperative strategic partnership”, during the visit of President Xi Jinping to Pakistan in 2015.
“I am looking forward to my visit to China in May 2017 to participate in the ‘Belt and Road Forum’, at the invitation of President Xi Jinping”, he said.
He said the forum would provide an excellent opportunity for discussing important areas of connectivity, infrastructure, trade, finance, people-to-people exchanges and think-tanks cooperation, not only between Pakistan and China but with the wider world.
The PM emphasised that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and its related projects symbolise the people-centric approach of the two countries and their resolve for regional connectivity.
“The project has immense potential to boost up regional trade and businesses as well as bring the people of the region closer. Millions of people in our region would reap the benefits of this project,” he said.
Zhengsheng thanked Nawaz for the warm welcome. He hoped that parliamentary exchanges between China and Pakistan would further strengthen the brotherly ties between the two countries.
The Chinese delegation included Lin Wenyi, vice chairwoman, CPPCC National Committee; Zhang Qingli, vice chairman and secretary-general, CPPCC National Committee; Sun Gan, Standing Committee Member and chairman of the Committee for Handling Proposals, CPPCC National Committee; Wang Taihua, Standing Committee member and chairman of the Committee of Learning and Culture and Historical Data; Sun Weidong, Chinese ambassador to Pakistan; and Liu Zhenmin, vice minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The meeting was also attended by Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani, Leader of House in Senate Raja Zafarul Haq, Advisor to PM Sartaj Aziz and PPP Senator Saleem H Mandviwala.
Separately, German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Dr Gerd Muller called on Nawaz Sharif at PM’s House.
