ISLAMABAD: The All Pakistan-China Friendship Association (APCFA) has stressed the need for mobilising peoples of China and Pakistan to work together for the Phase II of CPEC related to promotion of tourism, cultural corridor along with agriculture, energy industrialisation, investment and trade.

APCFA General Secretary Farwa Zafar said friendship organisations can be crucial players for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to promote common development and prosperity so as to bring benefits to the people.

She was addressing the fifth international forum on “Friendship” held in Beijing recently to discuss the cooperation between peoples under the BRI. The event was attended by representatives from 30 countries.

Ms Zafar said BRI is the project of the century and a buzzword across the globe focused on redeveloping the ancient silk route, forging closer partnerships among countries in Asia, Europe and Africa. She said for Pakistan BRI had been a game changer with the launch in 2015 of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as its flagship project.

Over the last five years, CPEC has improved people’s livelihoods, been a driver of Pakistan’s economic growth by one to two per cent every year besides creating 70,000 jobs in the country.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2020