Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday praised China for the way it tackled poverty and corruption, saying China’s expertise will help Pakistan to resolve the issues currently faced by the country, Radio Pakistan reported.

“Corruption is the biggest enemy of Pakistan, we need special skills to track the white collar crime,” the premier said during an interaction with media persons before leaving for China on a three-day official visit.

PM Khan said poverty reduction was the “most important segment of the PTI’s manifesto and the policies implemented by China to lift its people from poverty can guide us in devising indigenous policies in this regard”.

He said Pakistan wants to increase its exports in order to curtail the current account deficit. “Our main export is textile and China’s help in adding value to our products will improve our prospects of exporting finished products in the world market,” PM Khan said.

Pakistan was endowed with rich natural resources that have not been utilised, he added.

The prime minister said CPEC was a whole-encompassing idea which was “moving into next phases”. He said investment in industrial zones as well as in the socio-economic development was very important for improving the overall economy.

Earlier this week, the Chinese foreign ministry had said that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s upcoming visit to China would provide an opportunity for leaders of the two countries to open a new chapter of development of bilateral relations under new circumstances.

During the visit, PM Khan would hold talks with President Xi and Premier Li. He will also attend China International Import Expo (CIIE) being held in Shanghai.