ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China, on Monday, signed six memorandums of understanding (MoUs) to further enhance bilateral cooperation and promote economic relations between the two countries during the visit of Vice-Premier He Lifeng.
Under the 10–year celebrations of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Pakistan and China have signed MoUs during a ceremony held at the Prime Minister’s Office after a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz and Chinese Vice-Premier Lifeng, who is on a three-day visit to Pakistan to mark 10 years of the multi-billion-dollar CPEC.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by the high-level Chinese delegation led by the Chinese vice premier, the prime minister of Pakistan, members of the federal cabinet, and senior officials of the various ministries.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng arrives in Pakistan to attend CPEC celebrations
During the signing ceremony, the minutes of the 11th Meeting of the Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) on CPEC were also signed. This document comprised the decisions and outcomes of the 11th meeting of the JCC on CPEC held on October 27, 2022. It was signed by the Vice Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of China Cong Liang and Federal Mistier for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal.
The other MoUs include Establishing an Expert Exchange Mechanism within the Framework of the CPEC. The MoU aimed to establish an expert exchange mechanism between the Ministry of Planning and Development, and the NDRC of China, to facilitate knowledge sharing between the two governments.
The objective was to obtain intellectual support and consultation for China-Pakistan capacity-building cooperation and conduct in-depth exchanges of Chinese experts with the Pakistani government and enterprises by sharing China’s experience, contributing Chinese solutions and helping Pakistan meet international standards more timely and efficiently. This MoU was also signed by Cong Liang, Vice Chairman of the NDRC, and Prof Ahsan Iqbal.
The MoU on the Protocol of phytosanitary requirements for the export of dried chilies from Pakistan to China was also signed. The protocol outlined the phytosanitary requirements for the export of dried chilies from Pakistan to China.
The signatories for this protocol were Pang Chunxue, Chargé d’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan, on behalf of the General Administration of Customs of China and Zafar Hasan, secretary, Ministry of National Food Security and Research of Pakistan.
Similarly, the MoU on the Acknowledgement of Receipt of Realignment of KKH Phase-II (Thakot-Raikot) Project Feasibility Study Final Report was also signed. This document acknowledged the receipt of the final report on the feasibility study for the realignment of the KKH Phase-II (Thakot-Raikot) Project.
The document was signed by Pang Chunxue, Chargé d’ Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan, on behalf of the Ministry of Transport of China, and Asim Ameen, Member Planning, National Highways Authority, Ministry of Communications of Pakistan.
The MoU on “Strengthening Workers’ Exchange Programme” was signed between the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) and the Board of Investment, Pakistan under the ambit of CPEC Industrial Cooperation to foster exchange programmers of the workforce associated with CPEC projects for skill development, technical training, language courses, and Chinese experience sharing in SEZs development by providing a platform to augment meaningful people-to-people exchanges.
The MoU was instrumental in strengthening the Pak-China industrial cooperation and the development of SEZs through Chinese intellectual support. It further enhanced the competitiveness of CPEC’s workforce to meet the local industrial requirements and also supported the requirements of skilled labour to attract Chinese industrial relocation envisaged through CPEC industrial cooperation.
Furthermore, an agreement on the Announcement of the Minutes of the 21st Conference of Technical Committees on Promoting the (ML-1) Project was also signed. The ML1 project, a crucial element of the CPEC, held the promise of transforming Pakistan’s transportation system.
Both Pakistan and China had made noteworthy strides in preliminary technical work. In a recent agreement, both sides resolved to push forward the strategic ML1 initiative. By focusing on cost efficiency, justified capital outlays, and maximized economic returns, the ML1 project would unfold in a systematic, phased approach.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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