First 'CPEC marriage' pictures go viral

A wedding photograph of a Chinese man and a Pakistani woman has taken the world of social media by storm.

Pictures shared on social media show the unidentified couple as they take part in their wedding ceremony.

Some 30,000 Chinese are working on different development projects, including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a major cooperation project between the two countries.

Beijing’s infrastructure splurge has helped revive Pakistan’s sputtering economy, and deepening ties between the two nations have turned Pakistan into a key cog in China’s grand plan to build a modern-day “Silk Road” of land and sea trade routes linking Asia with Europe and Africa.

While the first phase of CPEC, as the Pakistan leg of this new Silk Road is called, concentrated on infrastructure projects, the second part will focus on setting up special economic zones and integrating Chinese firms into the local economy to help Pakistan develop its industries ranging from mining to agriculture.

China has also surged to become by far the biggest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) for Pakistan, topping $1 billion in 2016/17, and is betting on its neighbour at a time when many Western companies are still put off by security concerns and corruption.

ePaper - Nawaiwaqt