We appreciate positive comments by PM Shehbaz regarding CPEC, says Zhao Lijian

BEIJING (Web Desk) – Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian has said that they appreciate the positive comments by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif regarding China-Pakistan Economic Cooperation.

In his regular briefing in Beijing, Zhao Lijian said that China and Pakistan were all weather strategic cooperation partners and iron clad brothers. “China will as always put Pakistan as a priority of its neighbourhood diplomacy and to support its efforts to realise revitalisation.”

He said that China will continue to work with the new Pakistani administration to have close communication at different levels and add new impetus to bilateral cooperation between two all-weather friends and strategic cooperative partners.

Earlier, Charge d’ Affaires of People’s Republic of China Pang Chunxue had paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif at the Prime Minister’s House. She had conveyed warm felicitations and good wishes of the Chinese government and leadership on the assumption of office by the prime minister. The Charge d’ Affaires had emphasized that the prime minister was viewed as a strong and committed friend of China and enjoyed great respect and admiration in her country.

The prime minister had appreciated CPEC’s continued progress as the flagship project of President Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative and its importance for economic development and prosperity of Pakistan. He had affirmed his government’s resolve to speed up high quality development of CPEC projects and make it a symbol of China-Pakistan friendship and close partnership. He had also underlined the importance of enhanced investment from China in industrialization, agriculture, and digital technologies.