Pakistan Ambassador to China, Masood Khalid said today that both China and Pakistan have agreed to establish nine industrial parks in Pakistan under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework and hoped that at least two or three special economic zones could be built this year.

“Outcome of the CPEC is the establishment of many industrial parks and special economic zones. Both the countries have agreed to establish nine industrial parks in Pakistan,” he said in an exclusive interview with the Chinese Edition of “Chine.com.cn.”

He said that China’s experience in establishing special economic zones has been very successful, he said and added, “We hope that at least two or three special economic zones can be built this year, which means that we will build manufacturing centers, joint ventures, which will give people employment opportunities,” he added.

Ambassador Khalid said that the CPEC has brought work to more than 60,000 people in Pakistan. This is the result of the already-launched project, adding, the development of more projects under the Economic Corridor and the Belt and Road Initiative will lead to more job opportunities, per capita income will also increase, the government will have more funds for the construction of roads, hospitals and schools.

Terming it a holistic and comprehensive process, he said, through continuous and sustained efforts, we can solve the problem of poverty and hope that we can learn from China’s experience in this regard.

He said, Pakistan and China are old friends and their all-weather strategic partnership is based on mutual respect and mutual trust, adding, “Our relationship is very broad and diversified.”

“We have cooperation in many fields, bilateral cooperation, regional cooperation, and cooperation in international forums,” he added.

Ambassador Khalid said, in the past three to four years, we implemented the CPEC project, which is a pilot project and a new project under President Xi Jinping’s “One Belt One Road” initiative.

He opined that President Xi’s “One Belt and One Road” initiative, with a vision for the future and great foresight, will bring peace to this world. Therefore, interconnection will also promote our mutual trust.

Pakistan and China have carried out close cooperation on economic corridor projects, and many projects are steadily advancing.

He informed that about 22 projects are currently being implemented in Pakistan. These projects have the participation of Chinese friends.

“We very much welcome Chinese friends and thank you for your support and cooperation,” he added.

He said both China and Pakistan are developing countries and they must support each other as the two countries understand the problems and challenges that the other party faces.

Ambassador Khalid said, the relations between China and Pakistan have always been relatively close, and they have been related to regional issues, global issues, development and financial issues, and development.

Pakistan has benefited from China’s development experience, he said and added, “There are many things that we have to study, such as achievements in the development of China, as well as in all areas such as rural development, agriculture, industry, information technology, science and technology, education, and so on.”

He said, in education, for example, the cooperation between our two countries is thriving. There are about 22,000 Pakistani students studying in China. They not only study professional courses, they are still learning Chinese here, so one can imagine that they will be future China-Pakistan friendship ambassadors.

Ambassador Khalid said, more people will come to China in the future because China, Chinese culture, and Chinese language are all attractive, adding, “We need to learn Chinese and Chinese friends also need to learn Pakistani (Urdu) and learn Pakistani culture.”

“We complement each other with cultures and complement each other economically, and our views on diplomacy tend to be consistent. There are many aspects that we can learn from each other on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit,” he added.

He believed that the relations between Pakistan and China will get better and better, and the two countries will benefit more and more from it.

Regarding to a question about the last years 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China which marked the beginning of a new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics and painted a new blueprint for China’s development in the coming decades, he said, it established China’s future development direction and is a milestone in Chinese history.

The meeting identified China’s future development strategy, including economic development, and its role and contribution in international affairs. Therefore, I think this is a great improvement for China and the world. China has set goals for the next 20 years.

China is now the second largest economy in the world and plays a very important role in international relations.
China has a proactive foreign policy. In terms of domestic affairs, it also strives to achieve the reunification of the motherland and the development of the country.

Therefore, the next 20 years are still of critical importance to China, and it is also crucial for it to fulfil its global obligations, he said.

He said after entering a new era, China will continue to be a leader in new technologies, innovations, and development.
On the impact of China’s development on the world, he said during past five years, China’s contribution to the world economy is 15%, and its contribution to global economic growth is 30%.

He said, President Xi Jinping not only continued to carry out reforms in the past five years, but also launched a new type of international relations based on mutual benefit and mutual respect. This will be of great benefit to the world.

He said looking at China’s development data is really surprising. China’s average growth rate of 7.1% over the past five years has helped lift 68 million people out of poverty.

Ambassador Khalid said in the past 40 years, China has helped about 800 million people out of poverty. China has helped 68 million people out of poverty in the past five years.

Pakistan is also working on poverty alleviation. Last year, our GDP growth rate was 5.3%, which is the highest level in the past nine and ten years. “We hope that this year can reach 6%. “

“We have worked with China to raise the level of agriculture because agriculture is the main economic industry in Pakistan and covers more than 60% of the population,” he added.

Ambassador Khalid also congratulated the Chinese leadership for making far-reaching decisions under the leadership of President Xi Jinping.