BEIJING, Feb. 6 (APP): Chief Minister Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah said that the ongoing visit of President Asif Ali Zardari will further enhance bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and China in diverse fields and expedite the high-quality development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of Belt and Road Initiative.
During his visit to China, President Zardari held productive meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, Chairman of the Standing Committee of National People’s Congress, Zhao Leji and other leaders.
In his first term, President Zardari had visited China about 22 times. He also signed historic cooperation under CPEC with the Chinese leaders during that tenure, he said in a media interaction on the sidelines of President Asif Ali Zardari’s five-day visit to China.
He said that this was the first visit of President Zardari after getting re-elected and expressed the confidence that this visit would further strengthen bilateral relations between the two friendly countries and expedite the high-quality construction of the CPEC flagship project.
In response to a question about cooperation between China and Sindh province, he informed that Karachi and Shanghai enjoy sister cities status.
A large number of Chinese individuals are working on different projects in Karachi and other parts of the province which have played a vital role in the development of Sindh, he added.
About cooperation in culture and education, he said that up to five universities from Sindh have exchange programs with Chinese universities.
Under the instruction of President Zardari, Chinese language institutes have been set up in almost all the public sector universities. The Chinese language is being taught in almost all the public sector universities in Pakistan. This cooperation with its strong historical background would be very beneficial for both Pakistan and China, he added.
He said that his province is fully aware of the challenges posed by the environment. We’re the only province that has collaborated with a private company in a public-private partnership to protect the environment. The Chinese companies could come and invest in coal gasification, and building wind and solar power plants.
The Sindh Chief Minister said that during his visit, President Zardari will also witness the opening ceremony of Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China.
He wished great success for Pakistani players who will be participating in the games.
APP/asg