LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif says Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting Pakistan in mid-September and the Pakistani nation will welcome him.

He was talking to a PTV representative after the third meeting of Pak-Chinese Joint Coordination Committee in Beijing on Wednesday. The chief minister said the Chinese president would inspect ongoing power and infrastructure projects being executed in Pakistan with the cooperation of China as well as lay foundation stone of new projects.

He said irrespective of the consideration of the ruling party and the opposition, the whole Pakistani nation would welcome the Chinese president. Mr Sharif said sit-ins had caused a huge loss to development projects and Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metro Bus Project was also facing a delay. Earlier, addressing the third meeting of Pakistan-China Joint Coordination Committees, Mr Sharif said that work was being carried out speedily on orange line metro train project and contractors for the project would soon be selected.

Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal addressing the meeting said the construction of Khanjrab-Gwadar Motorway would result in wide-ranging economic cooperation in the region. He said a new history of Pakistan-China friendship was being written under the leadership of Prime Minster Nawaz Sharif. He briefed the meeting about the economic corridor project.

Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Maalik Baloch said work was being undertaken expeditiously on Gwadar Port and the process of acquisition of land had been completed. He said the law and order situation in the province had improved during the last one year and a new era of progress and development would soon usher in the province.

Also, during a meeting with the Chinese authorities and heads of investment companies in Beijing, Mr Sharif said that massive investment by China in Pakistan reflected its full confidence in the country. He said China had proved to be a true friend of Pakistan by investing a huge package in Pakistan’s history. Mr Sharif said the project of economic corridor, with collaboration of China, was of vital importance as it would result in economic stability of the country as well as increase in trade, economic and industrial activities.

ASSOCIATION: The Chinese government has given an indication to reactivate Pak-Chinese Friendship Association. Former UNO under-secretary Sha Zukang met Mr Sharif in Beijing and sought his cooperation for reactivating and making the friendship association more vibrant. The chief minister said reactivation and further mobilisation of the association was need of the hour and the government of Pakistan and Punjab government would do whatever possible for the purpose.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2014