BEIJING: China has expressed readiness to work with Pakistan to advance the high-quality development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) so as to deliver more benefits to the local people.
This was stated by Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin during his regular briefing in Beijing.
Wang said that Gwadar Port, a leading project of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor focuses on the development and people’s livelihood. He said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a landmark and pilot program under the Belt and Road Initiative. Since its inception in 2013, CPEC has achieved fruitful and remarkable results.
Meanwhile, Cheng Xizhong, special commentator of China Economic Net, in an article published on Tuesday said that as the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has entered Phase II, China and Pakistan should pay more attention to tourism and cultural cooperation to realize the people-to-people connection between the two countries.
Read More:
‘CPEC projects are transparent, carry no hidden debt’
Pakistan urges Chinese investors to explore more opportunities under CPEC
Xizhong observed that in recent years, both the federal and provincial governments have attached great importance to the development of tourism and hope to increase the contribution of tourism to GDP to 10% in the next few years.
As a province rich in tourism resources, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will invest more in tourism than the national average in future economic development. Now, the underdeveloped transportation and other infrastructure is the biggest bottleneck restricting the development of tourism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“Therefore, as far as I know, the provincial government hopes to carry out close cooperation with China while accelerating infrastructure construction.” He suggested that first, as the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has entered Phase II, the two sides should pay more attention to tourism and cultural cooperation to realize the people-to-people connection between the two countries.
Second, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is rich in oil, natural gas, hydraulic, mineral, and gemstone resources. China and Pakistan can strengthen cooperation in the development of these resources.
In addition, the cooperation between China and Pakistan in the construction of the Rashakai Special Economic Zone in the province will effectively promote local industrial development. The development of resources, industry and tourism should be integrated, so as to enhance the financial status and drive tourism development.
He said, third, it is certain that with years of unremitting efforts, the security situation in northern and northwestern Pakistan, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has improved year by year. This hard-won achievement should be further consolidated to continuously improve the tourism security environment and attract travel enthusiasts from regional countries including China and Central Asian countries.
