Islamabad, 17 March 2022 (TDI): A virtual meeting was held between the CPEC Authority and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of China.
The meeting was held to follow up on the decisions taken during the recent visit of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, to China. SAPM on CPEC Affairs, Khalid Mansoor, and the Director-General of NDRC co-chaired the meeting.
The Ambassador of Pakistan in China, Ambassador Moin-ul-Haque also participated. SAPM CPEC Affairs articulated that Prime Minister’s meeting with the Chinese leadership had been exceptionally productive.
Along these lines, the pertinent institutions of the two countries were ready to take the essential measures to decipher the agreements attained at the highest tier into tangible efforts as soon as possible.
Whilst the NDRC Director-General on his part reaffirmed that the pertinent Chinese organizations were taking the required actions to execute the agreements reached during the visit.
He stated that China attaches foremost significance to the ML-1 project as well as several internal engagements between the National Railway Administration and other pertinent organizations.
According to the outcomes of the meeting, Pakistan Railways will instantly contact the National Railway Administration (NEA), to sort out further details. Projects in the power sector were also discussed during the meeting.
These include the 300 MW Power Project in Gwadar as well as the 1320 MW Thar Coal Block-1 Power project. It was mentioned that all actions pertaining to these projects had been finished on the Pakistani side.
Furthermore, it was decided that the Chinese side would expedite the next steps related to these projects. The summit conveyed satisfaction at the speed of enactment of diverse projects in Gwadar like the East Bay Expressway, Pak China Friendship Hospital, New Gwadar International Airport, etc.
In addition, the schedule for holding meetings of Joint Working Groups (JWG) for various sectors was also discussed. The Joint Working Groups for Science & Technology, Industrial Cooperation, Information Technology, and Agriculture would be held in the near future.
Lastly, the Pakistani SAPM on CPEC Affairs expressed his appreciation to the NDRC for their persistent support along with facilitation in delivering the agenda of CPEC.
