ISLAMABAD - A 19-member Chinese expert group on long-term planning of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) led by Hu Dongsheng, Deputy Director General of China Development Bank, paid a visit to Pakistan in early March.
A press release issued by the Chinese Embassy on Thursday said that during the visit, the Chinese experts held extensive and in depth discussions with their Pakistani counterparts led by Secretary Hassan Nawaz Tarar of the Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform. Both sides emphasized the importance to speed up the process of drafting the CPEC long-term plan, which is scheduled to be finalised by July 2015.
Both sides reiterated their determination to implement the consensus reached by the previous meetings of the joint cooperation committee of CPEC, as well as its working groups. They reviewed the draft Long-Term Plan of CPEC (2015 - 2030) and believed this draft could be a good basis for further deliberations.
It was agreed that CPEC is a comprehensive package of cooperative initiatives and projects, which covers the key areas including connectivity, information network infrastructure, energy cooperation, industries and industrial parks, agricultural development and poverty alleviation, tourism, financial cooperation as well as livelihood improvement including municipal infrastructure, education, public health and people-to-people communication.
Both sides reaffirmed that the prime objective of the construction of CPEC is to benefit all the regions and people in Pakistan. It was agreed that the CPEC should be promoted in priority and step by step, incorporating the long term and short & medium term needs and based on the concrete conditions of Pakistan. Both sides should push forward the implementation of the Early Harvest Projects as well as the preparation of the projects of the Long-Term Plan in all sectors. With the experience earned in the process of CPEC construction and the improvement of local economy and security conditions, CPEC will not only benefit the entire Pakistan but also contribute to the regional peace, stability and prosperity.