Kotli, March 19 (TNS): President Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan on Monday said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a win-win for both Pakistan and China; and is a reflection of the strong relationship between the two countries.
The President made these remarks while addressing the one-day seminar on “CPEC and Azad Kashmir” organized by the University of Kotli. The event is a part of a series of seminars to be held at public-sector universities of AJK on highlighting the opportunities and the challenges of CPEC. He said that Kotli University has taken a positive initiative in arranging this seminar on CPEC and will act as a catalyst for further research.
The President said that CPEC is not a stand-alone project but is, in fact, a part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). He said that almost 65 countries, including Pakistan, are a part of BRI which is aimed at global economic connectivity across the continents of Asia, Africa and Europe.
Highlighting the prospects of CPEC, the President said that this project is not to be considered a substitute for Pakistan’s overall economic progress but rather a huge catalyst helping evolve and develop our economy. Pakistan, he said, is an emerging economy, well on its way to becoming one of the leading economies in the next three decades.
Underscoring the importance of geopolitical stability through enhancing economic and commercial activities, President Masood Khan said that CPEC and the BRI are initiatives structured around inclusiveness which will be instrumental for connectivity, productivity and promoting conducive circumstances for prosperity and building peaceful neighbourhoods.
President Masood Khan said that under the CPEC project, Pakistan and China will in the medium-to-long run explore and expand the cooperation fields to financial services, science and technology, tourism, education, poverty elimination and city planning, to meet the demands of deepening and promoting substantive cooperation between the two countries. He also brushed aside all apprehensions connected to CPEC being China’s plan for colonisation.
