Photo taken on Feb. 4, 2021 shows the Lahore converter station of the ±660kV Matiari-Lahore high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistan's eastern Punjab Province. (SGCC/Handout via Xinhua)
"We envision Pakistan emerging as the gateway to China's western regions, Afghanistan and Central Asia" through CPEC, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said.
ISLAMABAD, April 3 (Xinhua) -- The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has been contributing to the country's economic development while promoting regional connectivity and prosperity, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said here on Saturday.
"We envision Pakistan emerging as the gateway to China's western regions, Afghanistan and Central Asia" through CPEC, Qureshi said at the two-day Islamabad Security Dialogue.
Pakistan is endeavoring to reap peace dividends in Afghanistan in the form of enhanced connectivity and trade, he added.
The Orange Line metro trains are seen at the terminal station in Lahore, Pakistan, Dec. 29, 2021. (Photo by Jamil Ahmed/Xinhua)
Stressing Pakistan's policy of shifting from geo-politics to geo-economics, Qureshi said the country is advocating peaceful co-existence and win-win cooperation, adding that its location makes it a natural hub for economic confluence for different states.
"We are positioning Pakistan as an economic hub, a melting pot for positive global interests focusing on enhancing connectivity, development partnerships, and peace within our borders and beyond."
Qureshi said Pakistan will continue to support an equitable and inclusive global order where no one is left behind, adding that zero-sum perspectives must be shed.
"We need to focus on cooperation, rather than confrontation and must strive for a world of peace, progress and prosperity in which benefits of development are shared by all."■
