ISLAMABAD, Jul 31 (APP): Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Monday said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project had started a new journey of prosperity in the region and provided employment opportunities to millions of people.
“The completion of 10 years of CPEC is a historical milestone. Through this, Pakistan got China’s cooperation in the political sector as well as in the economic sector,” he said addressing the ceremony held to mark the 10-year celebrations of CPEC.
The minister said the visit of Chinese vice Prime Minister He Lifeng as a representative of President Xi Jinping was very important on the completion of 10 years of CPEC.
He said, “The Government of Pakistan expresses its gratitude to the Chinese leadership and people for their friendship with Pakistan under difficult circumstances.”
When no one was ready to invest even one dollar in Pakistan, investment of billions of dollars was made available
by China to Pakistan under CPEC, he added.
Ahsan Iqbal said the investment of 25 billion dollars in the first phase of CPEC was a record foreign investment, which created employment for millions of people and new demand for the Pakistani industry, besides exposing local engineers and workers to new technology.
He said a new development era had started in the region with CPEC as China invested billions of rupees in Pakistan under it. CPEC helped Pakistan overcome the challenges. It had increased prosperity and harmony in both the countries.
He said CPEC was a beautiful bouquet between the two countries. Multan-Sukkur Motorway and Hazara Expressway were built while a road network was laid in the country. Similarly, the Gwadar Port and East Bay Expressway was built, while schools, hospitals and vocational centers of technical education were also set up in Gwadar.
The leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, he said, gave a new spirit to CPEC. It helped a lot in dealing with the energy crisis under CPEC.
In the second phase of CPEC, long-term projects would be started, he added
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