BEIJING: Pakistan will continue to support China’s One Belt, One Road initiative.
Pakistani Ambassador to China Masood Khalid, in an interview with Chinese newspaper People’s Daily, said that political and economic dividends that would follow One Belt, One Road initiative would be unprecedented.
He said the project (One Belt One Road) was aimed at strengthening cooperation between countries along the belt and road, from Asia Pacific to South Asia and from Middle East to Europe.
Masood reiterated the firm support of Pakistan government and society to the project, saying Pakistan government has conceived 29 industrial parks under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which will lead to the economic development of entire Pakistan.
The ambassador said the CPEC had registered a steady progress this year; the two big road projects -Karachi to Lahore motorway project (Sukkur to Multan) and Karakorum Highway upgradation would start soon, while Orange Line project in Lahore had started.
“CPEC is becoming an important platform for further cementing the two countries’ concrete relations, and really is the flagship project of ‘One Belt One Road’.
He added that till date, Pakistan government had identified 29 sites for industrial parks. “Among them, initially the free trade zone of Haier-Ruba industrial park, phase two, and free trade zone of Gwadar will be launched,” he explained.
Masood added both sides would choose sites for other industrial parks through mutual consultations. He expressed the hope that industrial parks would lead to the development of entire Pakistan on account of being situated along the entire route of CPEC.
