With Beijing’s assistance, Gwadar port to transform into logistics hub, says Shehbaz

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said Pakistan aims to transform the Gwadar port into a logistics hub with Chinese cooperation, reported Radio Pakistan.

Located in the mineral-rich region of Balochistan, the Gwadar port is a vital cog in the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, which is a 3,000km Chinese infrastructure network project in construction in Pakistan.

The PM’s remarks came while chairing a meeting regarding enhancing cooperation with China in various fields on Tuesday.

The prime minister said Pakistan’s desire to increase cooperation with China “on a priority basis in the areas of agriculture, information technology and energy as well as to boost its exports to China”.

CPEC review meeting: Certain proportion of imports should be done thru Gwadar port: PM

“He assured to extend full facilitation to the Chinese industrialists and investors,” read the report.

Moreover, the PM invited Chinese businesses especially the textile sector to set up industries in Pakistan.

He held out an assurance that the Chinese nationals would be provided with foolproof security in Pakistan.

Neighboring ally China is one of the key investors in Pakistan, however, in recent times several Chinese projects have come under attack by militants and terrorist outfits.

At JCC meeting, Pakistan seeks Chinese assistance in key energy projects

On March 26, a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle into a convoy of engineers working on a hydropower project at Dasu in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing six people including five Chinese nationals.

The bombing followed a March 20 attack on the strategic Gwadar port.

Meanwhile, during the meeting on Tuesday, PM Shehbaz said preparations are being made for the next phase of CPEC. “Establishment of Agriculture Demonstration Zones will be an important project in the next phase of CPEC,” he said.

The prime minister directed the relevant ministries to prepare new projects to enhance Pakistan-China cooperation and undertake measures to promote business-to-business ties.

PM believed that China, a key partner in Pakistan’s economic development, could help frame a strategy for increasing the South Asian country’s exports.