AsiaNet-Pakistan Premier Editorial Content and Press Release Distribution Service
Islamabad, June 25, 2013 (PPI-OT): The, today, at the Chinese Foreign Ministry, says a press release received from Beijing here today.
During the meeting, both sides held a wide-ranging discussion on reinforcing Pakistan-China’s economic, trade, commercial, energy and strategic relations. Mr. Ahsan Iqbal underscored that the Asian region was going through a massive economic transition.
There were four engines of growth in the region including China, South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. The need was to connect this region into a major economic bloc thus unlocking enormous potential of the region. He underlined that Pakistan wanted to play a critical role in the interconnectivity of the region and solicited China’s help in pursuing that endeavour.
He stressed that the Economic Corridor project between Pakistan and China was of profound importance and that Pakistan was determined to transform this project into reality at the earliest possible time.
Mr. Iqbal urged that in view of the evolving regional geostrategic situation post-2014, it was imperative that the region’s economy is converted from war-economy to peace-economy through infrastructure and trade development projects and those policies are embraced that build a climate in which people-centred and development-oriented policies are pursued.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin welcoming Mr. Iqbal’s visit to China hoped that under the newly-elected government of Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif, Sino-Pakistan relations would further solidify and expand into other areas of cooperation. He underscored that China would continue to assist Pakistan in its economic and developmental goals.
Zhenmin underlined that the Economic Corridor project was of vital importance and both countries needed to deeply coordinate their policies on pursuing this project. He lauded the efforts of the newly- elected government in Pakistan in addressing existing challenges with urgency and determination. He also thanked the government of Pakistan in extending its fullest cooperation in transportation of dead bodies of two Chinese nationals, to Islamabad, recently killed in a terrorist attack in Nanga Parbat.
Later, Pakistani delegation met EXIM Bank Chairman and China Development Bank Executive Vice President. Mr. Ahsan Iqbal urged that economic corridor and infrastructure funds be set up to push implementation of projects.
He also asked for waiver of insurance premium on development loans secured by government of Pakistan. The delegation visited leading telecom company which agreed to set up a research centre in Pakistan.
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