Islamabad - The residents of twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have welcomed the visit of Chinese President Xi Jingping to Pakistan and hoped that Chinese investment will boost the country’s economy and help end the power shortage.
President Xi Jingping during his two-day visit to Pakistan on Monday signed different agreements and MoUs worth US $46 billion and vowed to cooperate especially in gas coal, solar and energy projects to overcome the power crisis of Pakistan.
Muhammad Aslam, who hails from G-9/4 Islamabad, said, “China is all-weather friend of Pakistan and the visit of Chinese president is good news for the citizens of Pakistan. The visit will open new corridors of investment and will boost business activities in Pakistan.”
According to Nadeem Ellahi of Faizabad, Rawalpindi, as summer is just around the corner and people are worried about the hours-long power load-shedding, the visit of Xi Jingping has brought a hope that the country will overcome the power crisis in near future. “We were worried about the energy crisis but finally we have good news; China is helping us in power sector that will enable us to beat the scorching heat,” he added.
Shakir Naeem, a businessman in Karachi Company, said, “It is an opportunity for the government to solve the issue of power crisis with the help of China.”
Muhammad Bilal, a student of National University of Modern Languages (NUML), hopes that both the sides will also cooperate in the field of education. “The visit will further consolidate the already strong relationships between Beijing and Islamabad. We hope that both the countries will offer more scholarships to students of each other state.” He said that Chinese universities had already offered scholarships to Pakistani students and it is perfect time to raise the number of seats for Pakistani students.
Muhammad Sajjad, a businessman in Aabpara Market, said that Chinese products available in the markets were affordable for the common people and enhanced trade will benefit the poor of the society. “The people would be deprived of many facilities if there are no Chinese products in the market; Chinese products are cheap and good in performance,” he added. He said that improved business between the two countries would improve the life of common people.
Khawar Ali, a student of international relation, said that after the visit of Chinese president to India in September 2014, the people of Pakistan were anxiously waiting for him to come to Pakistan. “The visit is not only good for Beijing and Islamabad but it will also bring harmony and prosperity to the whole region,” he added.