Chinese President announces additional RMB 500mn flood relief aid

• Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Beijing
• Chinese leader assured support for Pakistan’s sustainable economic and strategic projects
• He announced an assistance package of RMB 500 million for flood relief efforts

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and announced an additional assistance package of RMB 500 million for the country’s flood relief efforts.

The Chinese leader assured China’s continued support for Pakistan’s sustainable economic and strategic projects including the Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway track.

In a meeting held at the People’s Great Hall, the two leaders reaffirmed their mutual commitment to China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). They agreed to make joint efforts to “launch the ML-1 as an early harvest project under the CPEC framework”.

Both leaders also acknowledged the need for a mass-transit project in Karachi and agreed to finalize all formalities for the early launch of the Karachi Circular Railway. They also appreciated the signing of a number of agreements covering a broad range of bilateral cooperation during the visit.

PM Shehbaz Sharif congratulated President Xi on his reelection as General Secretary of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

He also thanked him for China’s invaluable assistance to Pakistan’s relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in the wake of the devastation caused by super floods in the country.

The two leaders reviewed the progress in Pakistan-China bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.

They reaffirmed their commitment to the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership between the two countries that has withstood the test of time.

Reaffirming Pakistan’s unique historic ties with China and the salience of bilateral friendship for regional peace and stability, Prime Minister Shehbaz strongly emphasized that Pakistan-China friendship enjoyed complete consensus across the political spectrum in Pakistan and was a model of inter-state relations.

He paid tribute to President Xi’s leadership for China’s prosperity and his vision for strengthening the bilateral relationship. He said that Pakistan drew inspiration from China’s socio-economic development and national resolve to the country’s progress and prosperity.

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The two leaders discussed cooperation across a range of issues, including defence, trade and investment, agriculture, health, education, green energy, science and technology, and disaster preparedness.

They exchanged views on the rapid transformation in the international environment, which had exacerbated economic challenges for developing countries. They affirmed their shared belief in dialogue and cooperation based on equality and mutual benefit as critical for global peace and prosperity.

They agreed that contemporary challenges like climate change, health pandemics, and growing inequalities needed unqualified cooperation among states, in accordance with the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Xi Jinping also discussed key issues, pertaining to the region including the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and in Afghanistan.

Both leaders acknowledged that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan would promote regional security and economic development and agreed that CPEC’s extension to Afghanistan would strengthen regional connectivity initiatives.

The prime minister also extended a warm invitation to President Xi for visiting Pakistan at an early date, which the latter accepted graciously.