by Raheela Nazir
ISLAMABAD, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Over the last few decades, China has made remarkable achievements, serving as a model for countries around the globe including Pakistan, Pakistani officials said here on Thursday during a ceremony celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
The visionary leadership of China played a vital role in initiating a new era of development for China, transforming it to a thriving society while sharing the dividends with the world, said officials and experts from the country's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.
Speaking at the event, Babar Saleem Swati, speaker of the provincial assembly of KP, said that Pakistan has a lot to learn from China in pursuit of shared economic prosperity and development, highlighting the importance of further deepening ties between the two friendly countries.
Acknowledging the significant role of China in Pakistan's development, Swati said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, has brought socio-economic benefits to the people of Pakistan, including KP.
He also called for deepening parliamentary connections and dialogues between Pakistan and China to foster meaningful connections, enhancing the already exemplary relations.
"It is a joint responsibility of leaders of both countries to foster and pass on the resilient ties between Pakistan and China to the coming generations, guaranteeing sustainable development for both nations."
Talking about the cooperation between China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Pakistan's KP province, Arshad Ayub Khan, provincial minister for local government, elections and rural development, said that the two regions need to further promote economic cooperation and people-to-people contacts.
Under CPEC, special economic zones are being established in the province, opening new avenues of prosperity for Pakistan by spurring economic activities and promoting industrialization in the country, especially in KP.
Launched in 2013, CPEC is a corridor linking the Gwadar Port in southwest Pakistan's Balochistan province with Kashgar in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which highlights energy, transport, and industrial cooperation in the first phase, while the new phase expands to fields of agriculture and livelihood, among others. ■