CPEC-II: PM vows to deepen cooperation

BEIJING: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday held a series of high-level meetings with leading Chinese enterprises, wherein he reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to deepening economic, industrial, and infrastructure cooperation under the framework of CPEC Phase II.

The prime minister, who is on a four-day official visit to China, met with the delegation of FAMSUN led by CEO Zhengjun Chen and appreciated the company’s longstanding contribution to Pakistan’s agriculture sector, particularly in grain storage, feed production, and food security.

He emphasized Pakistan’s focus on reducing post-harvest losses and invited FAMSUN to establish manufacturing and technology transfer facilities in Pakistan under the incentives available through Special Economic Zones and the Green Pakistan Initiative.

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Prime Minister Shehbaz also met with Chairman Hou Jianxin and the delegation of Shandong Xinxu Group Corporation and welcomed the Group’s expanding footprint in Pakistan across maritime development, battery manufacturing, mineral processing, and industrial cooperation.

He appreciated Xinxu Group’s role in advancing the Xinxu Special Economic Zone, the Sea-to-Steel project at Port Qasim, and investments in Gwadar and northern mineral sectors, reaffirming his government’s full support for these strategic projects and encouraged accelerated implementation under CPEC Phase II.

In the meeting with Zhang Bingnan, Chairman of China Communications Construction Corporation (CCCC) and senior representatives of China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), the PM highly appreciated the companies’ over six decades of contribution to Pakistan’s infrastructure development, including landmark projects such as the Karakoram Highway Rashakai Special Economic Zone.

He reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to fast-tracking priority infrastructure projects, including ML-1, KKH realignment, and other connectivity initiatives under CPEC, emphasizing that Pakistan valued the companies as long-term strategic partners in infrastructure modernization and regional connectivity.

The Chinese companies reaffirmed their confidence in Pakistan’s economic potential and expressed strong interest in expanding investments across agriculture, industrial manufacturing, logistics, infrastructure, and technology sectors.

In the said meetings, Prime Minister Shehbaz was assisted by senior ministers and government officials who were instructed to ensure rigorous and timely follow-up of the decisions taken on the occasion.