PM Shehbaz, Premier Li agree on CPEC’s expansion, projects’ early completion,

Both sides express strong determination to counter all threats and designs against the project and friendship,

BEIJING_ Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang here wherein the two side agreed to expand the China Pakistan Economic Corridor besides ensuring the early completion of the CPEC projects.

The meeting was held at the Great Hall of the People as the prime minister was on maiden two-day official visit to China, along with a high level delegation.

Earlier, the prime minister also met Chinese President Xi Jinping in which the latter assured China’s continued support for Pakistan’s sustainable economic and strategic projects including the Main Line-1 (ML-1) rail track and announced an additional assistance package of RMB 500 million for the country’s flood relief efforts.

It was the first visit by the prime minister to Beijing since he took charge in April. Pakistan had high hopes from the trip that took over six months to materialise. Given Pakistan’s precarious economic situation, the government was hoping to get some financial assistance from China besides accelerating the CPEC.

While the joint statement did not mention that China would consider Pakistan’s request for restructuring of $6.3 billion debt, the two sides agreed to build on the consensus on ML-1, a key strategic project of CPEC, for its earlier implementation.

“Recognizing that ML-1 is a project of key significance under the CPEC framework and of importance to Pakistan’s socio-economic development, the two sides agreed to build upon the leadership consensus and to advance the process of its earliest implementation. They also agreed to actively advance the Karachi Circular Railway, which was an urgent requirement for Pakistan’s biggest city,” the joint statement read.

The ML-1 has long faced delays which have led to a substantial increase in its cost from the original $6.6 billion to $10 billion.

The statement noted that the Chinese leaders appreciated the long-standing commitment of PM Shehbaz to China-Pakistan friendship. Shehbaz reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthen and deepen Pakistan-China All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership and enhance practical cooperation in all areas.

The two sides held an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations as well as the regional situation and international political landscape. The two sides agreed on the importance of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership amidst the emerging global challenges. The meetings were marked by traditional warmth, mutual strategic trust and commonality of views.

The leaders reaffirmed that close strategic ties and profound friendship between China and Pakistan were time-tested and resilient. China-Pakistan friendship is a historic choice of both peoples that serves the interests of the two countries. The Chinese side reiterated that relations with Pakistan will always be given the highest priority in its foreign policy. The Pakistani side underscored that the Pakistan-China relationship is the cornerstone of its foreign policy and that the Pakistani people always support the closest friendship between the two countries.

Both sides reiterated their mutual support on issues concerning each other’s core interests. The Pakistani side expressed its commitment to the one-China Policy and support on issues of Taiwan, South China Sea, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet. The Chinese side reaffirmed its support for Pakistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, security, and promoting its socio-economic development and prosperity.